Diferrocenes containing thiadiazole connectivities

2,5-Diferrocenyl-1,3,4-thiadiazole, 2,5-Fc₂-^cC₂N₂S, (3) has been synthesized by a two-fold Negishi ferrocenylation of dibromothiadiazole (1) with FcZnCl (2) (Fc = Fe(η⁵-C₅H₄)(η⁵-C₅H₅)) in presence of Pd(Ph₃P)₄] as catalyst. Additional spacer units between the ferrocenyls and the ^cC₂N₂S core could be introduced by using the Sonogashira C,C cross-coupling protocol. Reaction of 2,5-Br₂-^cC₂N₂S (1) or 2,5-(C₆H₄-4′-I)₂-^cC₂N₂S (6) with FcCCH (4) using PdCl₂(Ph₃P)₂] and CuI] as catalyst produced the appropriate organometallics 2,5-(FcCC)₂-^cC₂N₂S (5) or 2,5-(C₆H₄-4′-CCFc)₂-^cC₂N₂S (7). The electronic and structural properties of 3, 5, and 7 were investigated with UV-Vis spectroscopy and single crystal X-ray diffraction (3). Complex 3 adopts a solid state structure with none of the ferrocenyl substituents being coplanar with the thiadiazole ring. Cyclic, square wave, linear sweep voltammetry and in-situ NIR spectro-electrochemistry highlight the electrochemical properties of 3. In dichloromethane (0.1 mol L⁻¹ N(ⁿBu)₄]B(C₆F₅)₄]), compound 3 displays two well resolved electrochemical reversible one-electron events with formal reduction potentials of 0.192 and 0.338 V versus FcH/FcH⁺. In contrast, in presence of N(ⁿBu)₄]PF₆], the thiadiazoles 3 (E⁰ = 0.22 V), 5 (E⁰ = 0.18 V) and 7 (E⁰ = 0.09 V) show simultaneously oxidation of the two ferrocenyl termini versus FcH/FcH⁺. Spectro-electrochemical studies, performed in a dichloromethane solution of 0.2 mol L⁻¹ N(ⁿBu)₄]B(C₆F₅)₄], also show that 3 can successively be oxidized via 3⁺ to 3²⁺. A weak IVCT absorption (ε ca. 300 L mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹) at 1560 nm was found and is consistent with appreciable interactions between neutral ferrocenyl and positively charged ferrocenium mixed valent intermediates. Mixed-valent compound 3⁺ corresponds to a class II molecule according to Robin and Day.