An ESR and electrochemical approach to the unusual reactivity of ferrocenoylsilanes with organometallic compounds

ESR studies carried out during the reaction of ferrocenoylsilanes with Grignard reagents at low temperature led to the detection of the radical anions of the former compounds. Cyclic voltammetric experiments indicate that the observed radical anions are likely to originate through an inner-sphere electron transfer process. Different radical species were observed upon annealing, originating from destruction of the ferrocenyl moiety. Paramagnetic species were also detected on reacting ferrocenoylsilanes with LiAlH4.