Synthesis of titanium(IV) ferrocenylaminate complexes

Attempts to prepare ferrocenylaminate(1-) complexes of titanium(IV) from a range of ferrocenylaminates are described. These often foundered due to problems of preparing pure samples of the 2-lithiated ferrocenylamines. However, [TiCp2(Fc′CH2CH2NMe2)Cl], [TiCp2(Fc′CH2NEt2)Cl] and [TiCp(Fc′CH2NMe2)2Cl], where Fc′=Fe(C5H5)(2-C5H3), were isolated, and the last two were characterised structurally. In the second of these complexes, ferrocenylaminate is unexpectedly monodentate, possibly as a result of steric pressure. The last complex also contains monodentate ferrocenylaminates, and fills in a gap in the structures of the series of complexes [TiCp(Fc′CH2NMe2)nCl3−n] (n=1–3).