Synthesis and characterization of ferrocenylalcohol derivatives of hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene. X-ray crystal structure of N3P3Cl5OCH2CH2C5H4FeCp

The preparation of 1-ferrocenyl-2-propanol (5) from lithioferrocene and propylene oxide is described. The reaction of lithium diisopropylamide with 2-ferrocenylethanol (3) or 1-ferrocenyl-2-propanol (5), followed by the addition to hexachlorocyclotriphosphazane (1) provides N3P3Cl6−n (OCHRCH2C5H4FeCp)n [R=H, n=1 (3) or 2 (4); R=CH3, n=1 (6)]. The corresponding reactions with ferrocenylmethanol lead to degradation products via a phosphazene–phosphazene rearrangement. The substitution pattern observed for N3P3C14(OCH2CH2C5H4FeCp)2 (4) suggests that the reaction follows a predominantly cis-non-geminal pathway. The substituted phosphazene derivatives were characterized by standard means including 31P-NMR, mass spectrometry, elemental analysis and cyclic voltammetry. An X-ray crystal structure of N3P3C15(OCH2CH2C5H4FeCp) (3) was obtained.