Protonation of ferrocene, ruthenocene, and osmocene: a density functional study

Abstract

Protonated forms of the ferrocene, ruthenocene, and osmocene molecules in the gas phase were calculated using the density functional approach with the Becke—Lee—Young—Parr functional. The proton affinity energies of ferrocene, ruthenocene, and osmocene were estimated at 214.2, 220.3, and 229.7 kcal mol^–1, respectively. The addition of a proton to carbon atoms of the cyclopentadienyl ring in the ferrocene molecule and to the metal atom in the ruthenocene and osmocene molecules is more energetically favorable. No minimum corresponding to ring protonation was located on the potential energy surface of protonated osmocene. The C—H _endo bond in the ring-protonated [C₁₀H₁₁M]⁺ (M = Fe, Ru) cations is involved in agostic interaction with the metal atom. Transition states of interconversions between the ring-protonated and metal-protonated forms were identified. A specific group of protonated forms of the ferrocene and ruthenocene molecules includes four types of structures, viz., ring-protonated (1a,b) and metal-protonated (2a,b) structures, transition states of the 1 ⇌ 2 interconversion (3a,b), as well as ring-protonated structures with the cyclopentadiene ring folded along the C(2)—C(5) line so that the M—H _endo interaction is virtually negligible. The latter structures are required for [1,5]-sigmatropic shift of the exo-hydrogen atom in the Cp ring to occur. The results obtained were used for the interpretation of the available schemes of electrophilic substitution reactions in metallocenes and of the sigmatropic shift mechanisms.