The divinyl derivative Fe[(η5-C5H4)(Me2SiCHCH2)]2 (1), prepared by the low-temperature
reaction of 1,1‘-dilithioferrocene·TMEDA with ClSiMe2(CHCH2), has been used as a readily
functionalizable core unit for the synthesis of multimetallic systems. The hydrosilylation
reaction of 1 with Cl2MeSiH and Ph2MeSiH provides the tetrafunctional ferrocenes Fe[(η5-C5H4)(SiMe2(CH2)2SiMeCl2)]2 (2) and Fe[(η5-C5H4)(SiMe2(CH2)2SiMePh2)]2 (5), which after
reaction with Fe(η5-C5H4Li)(η5-C5H5) and Cr(CO)6, respectively, afforded the pentametallic
molecules Fe[(η5-C5H4)(SiMe2(CH2)2SiMeFc2)]2 (3) (Fc = (η5-C5H4)Fe(η5-C5H5)) and Fe[(η5-C5H4)(SiMe2(CH2)2SiMe{(η6-C6H5)Cr(CO)3}2)]2 (6). Characterization of the synthesized molecules by 1H, 13C, and 29Si NMR and IR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and elemental
analysis supports their assigned structures. The electrochemical behavior has been studied.
While 3 contains two pairs of outer silicon-bridged ferrocenyl units, in which the iron centers
interact with one another, in the related 6 the chromium tricarbonyl groups complexed to
arene rings, also joined by a single silicon, are essentially noninteracting.