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Updated: Jul 12, 2025

Synthetic Methodology for Asymmetric Ferrocene Derived Bio-conjugate Systems via Solid Phase Resin-based Methodology
Published on: March 12, 2015
A convenient synthesis of ferrocene-(ethynylphenyl)thioacetates
Troy L R Bennett1, Nicholas J Long1
1Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London, W12 0BZ, UK. n.long@imperial.ac.uk.
Abstract:
Ferrocene is popular within the field of molecular electronics due to its well-defined electronic properties. However, where the conductance of highly-conjugated oligophenylethylenes has been widely studied, work on analogous ferrocenyl systems has been relatively rare, possibly due to difficulties associated with the synthesis of molecules containing terminal thioacetates, which are often used to bind molecules to metallic electrodes. Herein, a widely applicable synthetic methodology is demonstrated which can be used to synthesize a variety of conjugated ferrocene-alkyne systems terminated with thioacetates, including symmetric, asymmetric and multi-ferrocene systems. Conjugation of the ferrocene units to their terminal atoms is then shown through the use of both UV/Vis spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. This work paves the way for future studies and applications of conjugated ferrocene systems in the field of nanoelectronics.
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