Synthesis of citric-acid-based dendrimers decorated with ferrocenyl groups and investigation of their electroactivity

Abstract

Fc (ferrocene)-functionalized citric acid dendrimers were successfully synthesized via the reaction of citric acid dendrimers with ferrocene methanol using dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. ClOC-PEG-COCl was used as the core, and the related dendrimers were synthesized divergently. Subsequently, each generation was functionalized with ferrocene methanol. The obtained Fc-dendrimers were characterized by H-1 NMR and FTIR spectroscopy. We have studied the relocation of electrons around the peripheries of dendrimers and between their redox terminals and electrodes by studies of the electrochemistry of dendrimers awarding metallocenes as functional's groups, because these compounds can be stabilized together their oxidized and their reduced states. In addition, the voltammograms of each Fc-functionalized generation were studied and the influence of scan rate, solvent, and [Fe] unit and the concentration of the Fc-dendrimers were investigated.