SYNTHESES AND REACTIVITIES OF FERROCENYL ORGANYL TELLURIDES

Twenty new ferrocenyl organyl (alkyl, alkenyl and alkynyl) tellurides were synthesized by using diferrocenyl ditelluride and characterized spectroscopically. Cinnamyl and benzyl ferrocenyl tellurides were revealed to be air stable enough to be isolated, in sharp contrast to the corresponding air sensitive phenyl tellurides. Treatment of some alkyl ferrocenyl tellurides with 1 mol equiv of m-chloroperbenzoic acid (MCPBA) in diethyl ether at 25-degrees-C for 2 h in the presence of triethylamine or tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) afforded the corresponding alkenes in fair to good yields via telluroxide elimination. The MCPBA or air oxidation of some allylic ferrocenyl tellurides in ethanol produced the corresponding allylic alcohols via [2,3] sigmatropic rearrangement. H-1 NMR and electronic absorption spectroscopic studies revealed that donor-acceptor complexes between alkyl ferrocenyl tellurides and TCNE were produced, an improvement of telluroxide elimination in the presence of TCNE being attributed to this complex formation.