Synthesis, Structure, and Spectroelectrochemistry of Ferrocenyl–Meldrum’s Acid Donor–Acceptor Systems

Abstract

The synthesis of two new donor–acceptor ferrocenyl derivatives with Meldrum’s acid based nonplanar acceptor substituents is presented. Both compounds are obtained in high yields in a simple reaction protocol under mild conditions using either 1-acetyl- or 1,1′-diacetylferrocene and Meldrum’s acid. Both products have been characterized spectroscopically, by single-crystal X-ray structure analysis, by electrochemical and UV/vis/IR spectroelectrochemical measurements, and by (TD)-DFT calculations. The spectroelectrochemical measurements disclose that the 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxane-4,6-dione moiety is a moderately strong electron acceptor.