Examination of the Mixed‐Valence State of the Doubly Boron‐Bridged Diferrocene Cation [(FeCp)2{μ‐C10H6(BPh)2}]+

Abstract

A series of mixed-valent (MV) complexes [(FeCp)2(mu-C10H6(BPh)2)]+X ([1+]X; X=I 5, PF6, SbF6, B(C6F5)4) were prepared by oxidation of diboradiferrocene [(FeCp)2(mu-C10H6(BPh)2)] (1) with I 2, AgPF6, and AgSbF6, respectively, and through anion exchange of the I 5(-) salt with [Li(Et2O)x][B(C6F5)4] in the case of X=B(C6F5)4. The MV state of the cation was investigated in solution by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, CV, and UV/Vis-NIR absorption spectroscopy, and in the solid state by IR spectroscopy, single-crystal X-ray crystallography, and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The cyclic voltammogram of 1 shows two distinct redox waves with a large redox splitting of Delta E=510 mV in CH2Cl2 and the NIR spectrum for the mono-oxidized species displays an intervalence charge-transfer band at around 1500 to 1700 nm depending on the specific counterion present. The X-ray crystal structures of [1+]X show inversion-symmetric cations with X=I 5 and B(C6F5)4 and unsymmetric valence-trapped structures composed of one ferrocene and one ferrocenium moiety with X=PF6 and SbF6. Mössbauer data for X=PF6 are consistent with valence trapping at all temperatures between 90 and 343 K. In comparison, fast electron transfer is evident on the Mössbauer timescale for X=I 5 and temperature-dependent behavior is observed for X=B(C6F5)4. The anion dependence of the X-ray structural and Mössbauer data is discussed in the context of crystal symmetry and the possibility of static and dynamic disorder effects is considered.