The influence of structure in the reaction of electrochemically generated ferrocenium derivatives with reduced glucose oxidase

The synthesis and characterisation of a series of ferrocenylaminoalcohols is reported. 1,2-Aminoalcohol compounds were prepared from the respective ferrocene aldehydes via reaction with trimethylsilylcyanide followed by reduction with LiAlH4. This series includes the ferrocene derivative 1,1'-dimethyl-3-(2-amino-1-hydroxyethyl) ferrocene 1, which is used as a redox mediator to glucose oxidase in a commercial biosensor for determining blood glucose levels in diabetics. The aminoalcohol derivatives are included in a structure-activity study involving the electrochemical determination of the mediation rates of a range of systematically substituted ferrocenes with glucose oxidase. These mediation rates are correlated with structure.