Preparation, Structural Characterization, Electrochemistry, and Sensing Properties toward Anions and Cations of Ferrocene-Triazole Derivatives

A number
of monosubstituted (3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, and 13) and disubstituted (15 and 16) ferrocene-derived
triazoles have been prepared, by using the copper-catalyzed click
reaction, and fully characterized. The versatility of the click reaction
enables the decoration of the ferrocene-triazole core, with additional
substituents displaying different optoelectrochemical properties.
The most salient features derived from the sensing studies are that
receptors 3, 6, 15, and 16 undergo unprecedented cathodic shifts of the oxidation
peak of the ferrocene/ferrocenium redox couple in the presence of
F–, AcO–, H2PO4–, and HP2O73– anions, whereas receptors 11 and 16 behave
as dual redox and optically selective molecular sensors for Hg2+ cations. The isolated [63·Ni2+] complex has been characterized by X-ray analysis.