Glucose ferrocenyl-oxazolines: Coordination behavior toward [Pd(η3-allyl)Cl]2 studied by ESI-MS

Several new oxazolin-2-yl-substituted ferrocenes based on 2-amino-2-deoxy-α-d-glucose were synthesized via the corresponding amides followed by closing the oxazoline-ring with SnCl4. Coordination properties of representatives of the group of mono- and bis-oxazolinyl ferrocenes, 2-ferrocenyl-4,5-(3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-1,2-dideoxy-d-glucopyrano)-[2,1-d]-oxazoline and 1,1′-bis{4,5-(3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-1,2-dideoxy-d-glucopyrano)-[2,1-d]-oxazolin-2-yl}ferrocene, respectively, toward [Pd(η3-allyl)Cl]2 were investigated by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry in positive ion mode and by MS/MS technique. With the monooxazoline derivative mainly a 1:1 complex with the Pd-moiety was found in the mass spectrum while the bisoxazoline yields a stoichiometry of 2:1 (oxazoline:Pd). The latter result is attributed to steric hindrance of the coordination of a second Pd-moiety to the bulky bisoxazolinyl-ferrocene. In the case of 1,1′-bis{4,5-(3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-1,2-dideoxy-d-glucopyrano)-[2,1-d]-oxazolin-2-yl}ferrocene 9 overlapping of two signals in the m/z range from 955–965 was found which can be assigned to the singly charged adduct [C36H40FeN2O16 + Pd(η3-C3H5)]+ and a doubly charged Pd–ligand cluster with the general formula Pd2[L(9)]2. In addition, the molecular structure of 1,1′-bis{4,5-(3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-1,2-dideoxy-d-glucopyrano)-[2,1-d]-oxazolin-2-yl}ferrocene was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis.