Electrochemistry of vanadocene dichloride in tetrahydrofuran and general scheme of the electroreduction of metallocene dichlorides of subgroups IVB-VIB

Abstract

1. In tetrahydrofuran medium on a dropping mercury electrode, vanadocene dichloride undergoes reversible one-electron reduction to a metastable vanadocene dichloride anion on the first wave; this anion is reversibly dehalogenated in the layer near the electrode, forming vanadocene monochloride. On the second wave there is an irreversible one-electron reduction of vanadocene monochloride to vanadocene. The reversible one-electron reduction of vanadocene on the third wave leads to the formation of a metastable anion Cp2V− as the primary product. 2. A general scheme is proposed for the electroreduction of metallocene dichlorides of subgroups IVB-VIB.