Electrochemical Properties of Di-ferrocenes Linked by π-Bridge

Ferrocene (C10H10Fe: bis(η-cyclopentadienyl)iron: Fc) is known as a good electron donor molecule showing one reversible redox cycle. This is one of the reasons why ferrocene is widely used as the main component of electronic, optical and biologically-active materials. Especially, multi-ferrocenyl compounds are frequently studied in the research field of intra-molecular electron-transfer processes. Di-ferrocene compounds linked by a polyethylene moiety (Fc(CH = CH)mFc: dFcEm) are the typical system studied by many researchers. The number and the geometry of ethylene linkage are the critical factors which control the efficiency of electrontransfer in this system. In this study, we prepared and spectroscopically characterized a di-ferrocenyl compound in which two ferrocenyl groups are linked by an enone moiety (Fc-C(O)CH = CH-Fc: Fc-Fc). The electron-transfer behavior of this compound was investigated electrochemically and compared with that of 1,2-diferrocenylethylene (dFcE). This is a part of series of studies of ferrocenyl chalcones.