Synthesis and electrochemical behavior of the ferrocenyl units assembled on imidoalane and carbaalane clusters

Hydroalumination reaction was effectively carried out on ferrocenylnitrile in the synthesis of imidoalane cluster [HAlNCH2C5H4FeCp]6 (3). Compound 3 exhibits a reversible electrochemical behavior. In the presence of ferrocenylmethanol, meta thesis reactions were carried out on [HAlNCH2(C4H3S)]6 (4) and [HAlNCH2Ph]6 (5) in the synthesis of [CpFeC5H4CH2OAlNCH2(C4H3S)]6 (6) and [CpFeC5H4CH2OAlNCH2Ph]6 (7). The ferrocenylmethoxide groups present in these two compounds show a single reversible oxidation wave, which suggests their electrochemical equivalence. Electrochemical studies were also carried out on the carbaalane [(AlH)2(FcCtriple bond; length of mdashCAl)4(AlNMe3)2(CCH2Ph)6] (9), which exhibited a considerably broadened wave with shoulders preceding the main anodic and cathodic peak, and it can be assigned to weak electronic interactions between the individual ferrocenyl sites.