Infrared matrix-isolation and theoretical studies of the reactions of ferrocene with ozone.

Abstract

The reactions between ferrocene (Cp2Fe) (2a) and ozone (O3) were studied using low-temperature matrix-isolation techniques coupled with theoretical density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Co-deposition of Ar/Cp2Fe and Ar/O3 gas mixtures onto a cryogenically cooled CsI window produced a dark-green charge-transfer complex, Cp2Fe-O3, that photodecomposed upon red (λ ≥ 600 nm) and infrared (λ ≥ 1000 nm) irradiation but was stable to green or blue irradiation. Products of photodecomposition were characterized by FT-IR, oxygen-18 labeling, and DFT calculations using the B3LYP functionals and the 6-311G++(d,2p) basis set. Likely, photochemical products included four structures having the molecular formula C10H10FeO, identified by DFT calculations based on their calculated infrared spectra and (18)O isotope shifts. Each of these calculated molecules had one intact and fully coordinated η(5)-C5H5 cyclopentadienyl (Cp) ring and (1) an η(5)-C5H5O cyclic ether (pyran ring) (2b), (2) an η(4)-C5H5O linear aldehyde (2c), (3) a bidentate cyclic aldehyde with a seven-membered ring including the iron atom (2d), or (4) an Fe-O bond and an η(2)-C5H5 (Cp) ring (2e). No conclusive evidence for a gas-phase thermal reaction between ferrocene and ozone was observed under the conditions of these experiments. However, strong evidence for a surface-catalyzed thermal reaction was observed in merged-jet experiments wherein the gases were premixed before deposition. Surface-catalyzed ferrocene-ozone reaction products included a thin film of Fe2O3 observed on the walls of the merged tube as well as cyclopentadiene (C5H6), cyclopentadienone (C5H4O), and further oxidation products observed in the matrix. Possible mechanisms for both the photochemical and the thermal reactions are discussed.