Macromolecular Rapid Communications, Vol.33, No.6-7, 592-596, 2012
Functionalization of Poly(ferrocenyldimethylsilane) via Lithiation of the Cyclopentadienyl Rings
The metallation of the cyclopentadienyl (Cp) ligands of poly(ferrocenyldimethylsilane) (PFDMS) can be performed by reaction with the Schlosser's base pair t-BuLi/KOt-Bu in THF. Subsequent treatment with a series of electrophiles affords a range of Cp-substituted polymers with up to an average of 1.8 new substituents per repeating unit. NMR studies on polymers containing trimethylsilyl groups and deuterium on the Cp rings are indicative of high regioselectivity with selective metallation at the beta-carbon.