A facile transesterification route to ferrocenyl esters

Abstract

In the presence of tetrabutylammonium hydroxide as catalyst and at room temperature, ethyl ferrocenecarboxylate, ethyl ferrocenylacetate, ethyl 3-ferrocenylpropanoate, 1,1'-ferrocenyl-bis(ethyl propanoate), ethyl 3-ferrocenylpropenoate and 1,1'-ferrocenyl-bis(ethyl propenoate) undergoes facile transesterification reaction with aliphatic, benzyl and allyl alcohols to furnish the corresponding ferrocenyl esters in good to excellent yields. Ring closing metathesis of the ester Fc-1,1'-(CH=CH-CO₂CH₂CH=CH₂)₂ yields the corresponding closed loop ferrocenyl ester.