Synthesis, X-ray structure, EPR and optical properties of a ferrocene substituted polychlorotriphenylmethyl radical Original Research Article

The optical, magnetic and electrochemical properties of the octamethylferrocene aldehyde substituted polychlorotriphenylmethyl radical 1 are reported. Radical 1 is prepared in a three step synthetic route starting with a Wittig–Horner reaction to yield (E)-1-formyl-1′-{2-{4-[bis(2,3,4,5,6-pentachlorophenyl)methyl]-2,3,5,6-tetrachloro phenyl}ethen-1-yl}-2,2′,3,3′,4,4′,5,5′-octamethyl ferrocene (6), which is subsequently deprotonated to yield the corresponding anion 7 and finally oxidized to (E)-4-[2-(1′-formyl-2,2′,3,3′,4,4′,5,5′-octamethylferrocen)ethen-1-yl]-2,3,5,6-tetrachlorophenyl-bis(2,3,4,5,6-pentachlorophenyl)methyl radical (1). Radical 1 exhibits a charge-transfer band transition in the near infrared region which is associated with an intramolecular electron transfer from the ferrocene unit (donor) to the radical unit (acceptor) of this dyad molecule. The X-ray crystal structure of [K+(18-crown-6)] (E)-[4-[2-(1′-formyl-2,2′,3,3′,4,4′,5,5′-octamethylferrocen)ethen-1-yl]-2,3,5,6-tetrachlorophenyl-bis(2,3,4,5,6-pentachlorophenyl) methide] (7) has been determined. This organic salt shows an interesting one-dimensional polymeric structure formed by the coordination of the K+ cation with several atoms of the organic carbanion.