Frustrated Lewis Pairs as Molecular Receptors: Colorimetric and Electrochemical Detection of Nitrous Oxide

Abstract

Laughing about frustration: Frustrated Lewis pairs comprising a bulky tertiary phosphine and a strongly Lewis acidic ferrocenyl borane (FcB(C6F5)2) have been investigated for the colorimetric/electrochemical detection of N2O. One such system, based on tBu3P/FcB(C6F5)2, not only signals the presence of N2O, but also has the ability to differentiate between N2O and O2.

Diferrocenophosphaborin: A Planar‐Chiral, Redox‐Active and Anion‐Responsive Ambiphilic Ligand

“…Lewis acids and Lewis pairs with a ferrocene (Fc) backbone have recently attracted attention, because they provide a rigid framework and also offer an opportunity to tune the reactivity by reversible oxidation of the Fe center 3e. 4 As an example, Aldridge reported the use of FcB(C 6 F 5 ) 2 as a colorimetric and electrochemical indicator for N 2 O binding 5. Chiral B/P Lewis pairs ( B ) were developed by Aldridge6 and Thilagar,7 while Erker8 demonstrated the use of ferrocenylalkylborane ( C ) in the activation of H 2 .…”

Colorimetric Detection of Small Molecules by a Frustrated Lewis Pair Containing a Phosphorus‐Functionalized CycloheptatrienylCyclopentadienyl Titanium Sandwich Complex

“…Similar reactivity was observed for the corresponding diphosphane [(η 5 ‐C 5 H 4 P t Bu 2 ) 2 Fe] 3. Whereas the ferrocenes 1 and 3 served as Lewis bases in the FLP systems 1 /B(C 6 F 5 ) 3 and 3 /B(C 6 F 5 ) 3 , the ferrocenyl borane [{η 5 ‐C 5 H 4 B(C 6 F 5 ) 2 }Fe(η 5 ‐C 5 H 5 )] ( 5 )4 was recently introduced as a Lewis acidic FLP part, and the combination P( t Bu) 3 / 5 was shown to act as a molecular receptor that allowed the colorimetric and electrochemical detection of nitrous oxide upon the formation of adduct 6 (Scheme ) 5…”

Diferrocenophosphaborin: A Planar‐Chiral, Redox‐Active and Anion‐Responsive Ambiphilic Ligand

“…Lewis acids and Lewis pairs with a ferrocene (Fc) backbone have recently attracted attention, because they provide a rigid framework and also offer an opportunity to tune the reactivity by reversible oxidation of the Fe center 3e. 4 As an example, Aldridge reported the use of FcB(C 6 F 5 ) 2 as a colorimetric and electrochemical indicator for N 2 O binding 5. Chiral B/P Lewis pairs ( B ) were developed by Aldridge6 and Thilagar,7 while Erker8 demonstrated the use of ferrocenylalkylborane ( C ) in the activation of H 2 .…”