2.2. Experimental Procedures
3-(Ferrocenoyl)propionic acid
(1a). The compound was synthesized by following the procedure reported in the literature [
17].
5-ferrocenyl-4-trifluoroacetyl-2(3H)-furanone (1b). To the stirred solution of 1a (500 mg, 1.74 mmol) in dichloromethane, trifluoroacetic anhydride (0.48 mL, 3.49 mmol) was added. The solution turned purple immediately. The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 30 min. Volatiles were removed in vacuo. The crude product was purified by silica column chromatography using dichloromethane as eluent, and the purple band on the column was collected. Yield (221 mg, 35%). Melting Point: 108–110 °C. IR (ATR, cm-1): 1825.93, 1726.00, 1690.86, 1553.54. 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3, ppm): δ 3.69 (br, 2H), 4.23 (s, 5H) 4.71 (br, 2H), 5.39 (br, 2H) 19F{1 H} NMR (Acetone-d6, ppm): δ −76.5. 13C{1H} NMR (100 MHz, acetone-d6, ppm): δ 33.2, 68.9, 70.0, 70.5, 71.7(cp), 73.2, 103.0, 116.9 (q, 1J = 290.4 Hz, CF3), 171.0, 172.8 (q, 2J = 34.5 Hz, C-O). ESI-MS: m/z 364.1.
(4-ferrocenoyl)butyric acid (
2a) and 1,3-diferrocenoylpropane (
2a'): To the stirred suspension glutaric anhydride (6.13 g, 53.8 mmol) and anhydrous aluminum chloride (14.3 g, 107 mmol) in 1,2-dichloroethane (80 mL), a solution of ferrocene (12.0 g, 64.6 mmol) in 1,2-dichloroethane (80 mL) was added dropwise. The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 1 hr and poured into ice-cold water. The organic phase was separated, and the aqueous phase was extracted with dichloromethane (3 x 30 mL). The product was extracted in 1.0 M NaOH (3 x 40 mL). The aqueous phase was acidified with conc. HCl until precipitation was complete. The precipitate was separated by filtration, and the residue was dried in air to give
2a (2.34 g, 14.5%) as an orange solid.
1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl
3, ppm) : δ 2.03 (quint,
3J = 7.2 Hz, 2H), 2.50 (t,
3J = 6.8 Hz, 2H), 2.81 (t,
3J = 6.8 Hz, 2H), 4.18 (s, 5H, Cp), 4.49 (br, 2H, Cp), 4.80 (br, 2H, Cp).
13C{
1H} NMR (100 MHz, acetone-d
6, ppm): δ 19.4, 32.5, 38.1, 68.4, 69.3, 69.6, 79.5, 173.7, 202.3. The melting point and spectroscopic data of the complex were in good agreement with the reported compound [
18]. The organic phase was collected, volatiles removed in vacuo
, and the products separated by silica column chromatography using a mixture of hexane and ethyl acetate (3:1). The second band of the column, after evaporation of solvents, gave
2a' (1.26 g, 8.3%) as an orange solid. Analytically pure product was obtained by slow solvent evaporation from the diethyl ether and hexane mixture. Melting Point: 131-132.5 °C (Lit.[
19] 125 – 127 °C). IR (ATR, cm
-1): 1664 (C=O).
1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl
3): δ 2.11 (p,
3J = 7.2 Hz, 2H), 2.83 (t,
3J = 7.6 Hz, 4H), 4.19 (s, 10H, Cp), 4.49 (t,
3J = 2.0 Hz, 4H), 4.82 (t,
3J = 2.0 Hz, 4H).
13C{
1H} (100 MHz, CDCl
3, ppm): δ 19.5, 38.9, 69.5, 69.9, 72.3, 79.0, 204.3. ESI-MS: m/z 469.0 [M + H]
+. The structure of
2a’ was analyzed using single-crystal X-ray analysis.
6-ferrocenyl-5-trifluoroacetyl-3,4-dihydropyran-2-one (2b). We synthesized this compound by following procedures similar to 1b but with a longer reaction time (12 h). Yield 49%. Melting Point: 86.1–87.9 °C. IR (ATR, cm-1): 1790, 1703 (C=O), 1652 (C=C). 1H NMR (400 MHz, Acetone-d6): δ 2.82 – 2.84 (m, 2H), 2.87 – 2.90 (m, 2H), 4.27 (s, 5H), 4.53 (t, 3J = 1.6 Hz, 2H), 4.65 (t, 3J = 1.6 Hz, 2H). 13C{1H} NMR (100 MHz, Acetone-d6, ppm): δ 20.8, 27.7, 70.1, 70.9, 75.5, 108.1, 116.3 (q, 1J = 291.3, CF3), 163.9, 165.9, 181.5 (q, 2J = 34.5 Hz, CO). 19F NMR (Acetone-d6, ppm): −73.8. The X-ray quality crystals were obtained by cooling its solution in hexane.
2-(Ferrocenoyl)benzoic acid (
3a). The compound was synthesized by following the procedure reported in the literature [
20].
3,3’-diferrocenyl-3,3’-diphthalide (3b). To the stirred solution of 3a (500 mg, 1.49 mmol) in dichloromethane (10 mL), trifluoroacetic anhydride (1.05 mL, 7.48 mmol) was added. The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 30 min, and then water (20 mL) was added. The product was extracted with dichloromethane (2 x 20 mL). The organic layer was dried with anhydrous MgSO4 and filtered, and the filtrate evaporated to dryness. The crude product was purified by silica gel column chromatography using a mixture of dichloromethane and ethyl acetate (1:1) to give 3b (0.236 g, 48%) as a pale-yellow solid. The 1H NMR analysis of the product showed the mixture of two isomers in a ca. 1:1 ratio. The mixture was suspended in diethyl ether and filtered. The ether-insoluble product was further purified by recrystallization from chloroform by diffusion of ethyl ether. The single-crystal X-ray analysis of the product revealed the formation of a meso isomer. Meso: Melting Point: decomposes above 200 °C. IR (ATR, cm–1): 1767 (C=O). 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3, ppm): δ 3.48 (s, 10H), 3.69 – 3.70 (m, 2H), 3.73 – 3.75 (m, 2H), 4.04 – 4.05 (m, 2H), 4.36 – 4.37 (m, 2H), 7.50 (t, 3J = 7.6 Hz, 2 H), 7.71 – 7.75 (m, 4H, Ar), 7.99 (d, 3J = 7.6 Hz, 2H). 13C{1H} NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3, ppm): δ 67.4, 67.8, 68.0, 68.6, 68.9, 84.5, 89.8, 124.0, 125.2, 126.6, 129.7, 133.6, 150.6, 169.6. Racemic: Melting Point: 124 °C. IR (ATR, cm–1): 1728 (C=O). 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): δ 3.47 (s, 5H, Cp), 3.85 (br, 1H), 3.99 (br, 1H), 4.19 (br, 1H), 4.42 (br, 1H), 7.40 (t, 3J = 7.2 Hz, Ar), 7.56 – 7.63 (m, 2H, Ar), 7.73 (d, 3J = 7.2 Hz, Ar). 13C{1H} NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3, ppm): 67.2, 68.5, 68.6, 68.8, 69.4, 85.5, 89.9, 123.4, 125.5, 126.7, 129.7, 133.8, 150.0, 169.7. Monoferrocenyl dimerized lactone. This product was collected as the first fraction of the column. 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): δ 2.16 (s, 1H), 3.76 (s, 5H), 4.08 (br, 1H), 4.20 (br, 1H), 4.27 (br, 1H), 4.49 (br, 1H), 4.09 (t, 3J = 2.4 Hz, 1H), 6.37 (dd, 3J = 5.6 Hz, 3J = 2.4 Hz, 1H), 7.03 (dd, 3J = 5.6 Hz, 3J = 1.6 Hz, 1H), 7.35 – 7.37 (m, 1H), 7.50 – 7.59 (m, 4H), 7.69 (t, 3J = 7.2 Hz), 7.84 (d, 3J = 7.6 Hz, 1H), 7.98 (d, 3J = 7.6 Hz, 1H), 7.18 – 7.20 (m, 1H). The reaction was performed by adding two-mole equivalents of ferrocene as 3a. Under similar reaction and workup conditions, the yield of the product was found to be 85%.
5-Ferrocenyldihydro-2(3H)-furanone (4b). To a stirred solution of 1a (1.00 g, 3.49 mmol) in aqueous 1.0 M NaOH (10 mL), NaBH4 (0.661 g, 17.5 mmol) was added. The reaction mixture was refluxed for 1 hr. A brisk gas formation was observed during the reflux, and the compound changed its color from red to orange. The mixture was cooled to room temperature and layered with ethyl acetate. Concentrated HCl was added dropwise with constant stirring until the compound moved from the aqueous to the organic layer. The organic phase was collected, dried with MgSO4, and evaporated to dryness to give a viscous mass. The products were further purified by column chromatography in silica using DCM as eluent, and an orange band was collected. Yield: 0.583 g, 58%. Melting point: 129 -130 °C. IR (ATR cm−1): 1758 (C=O). 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): δ 2.19 – 2.32 (m, 1H), 2.52 – 2.66 (m, 3H), 4.18 (s, 5H), 4.20 – 4.22 (m, 4H,), 5.31 – 5.34 (m, 1H). 1H NMR (400 MHz, Acetone-d6): δ 2.30 -2.38 (m, 1H), 2.49 - 2.66 (m, 3H), 4.18 (s, 5H), 4.20 (br, 2H), 4.25 (br, 1H), 4.32 (br, 1H), 5.32 – 5.35 (m, 1H). 13C{1H} NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3, ppm): 29.3, 29.7, 67.9, 70.1, 78.8, 78.9, 87.8, 176.9.
6-Ferrocenyl-2H-tetrahydropyran-2-one (5b). We synthesized this compound by following procedures similar to 4b but with a longer reaction time (2 h). Yield: 28%. Melting point: 106 – 107 °C. IR (ATR, cm−1): 1727 (C=O). 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): δ 1.81 – 2.01 (m, 3H), 2.18 – 2.23 (m, 1H), 2.46 – 2.54 (m, 1H), 2.61 – 2.68 (m, 1H), 4.17 – 4.18 (m, 7H), 4.20 – 4.23 (m, 1H), 4.24 – 4.26 (m, 1H), 5.16 (dd, 3J = 10.4 Hz, 3J = 3.6 Hz). 13C{1H} NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3, ppm): 18.7, 29.0, 29.6, 66.1, 67.3, 68.3, 68.4, 68.9 (Cp), 78.9, 87.1, 171.5.