Self-assembly of ferrocene-functionalized perylene bisimide bridging ligands with Pt(II) corner to electrochemically active molecular squares

Ferrocenyl-substituted N,N'-di(4-pyridyl)perylene bisimide ligands have been synthesized by the coupling reaction of hydroxyphenoxy-perylene bisimides with ferrocenyl carboxylic acids. By means of metallosupramolecular self-assembly, hitherto unprecedented multiredox active dendritic molecular squares with 16 ferrocene groups positioned in the bridging ligands are prepared from the perylene bispyridyl imide ligands and [Pt(dppp)][(OTf)(2)] (dppp = 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphano)propane; OP = trifluoromethanesulfonate) corner in high yield. The isolated metallosupramolecular squares were characterized by elemental analysis, H-1, P-31{H-1} NMR, and UV/vis spectroscopy. The electrochemical properties of the ligands and squares are investigated by cyclic voltammetry as well as spectroelectrochemistry. The results obtained show that the redox behavior of ferrocene units is influenced by the square superstructure. Furthermore, redox titration of free ligand and corresponding molecular square with the one-electron oxidant thianthrenium pentachloroantimonate reveals that ferrocene groups in these structures may be oxidized completely by this oxidant, and highly charged species generated through oxidation of ferrocenyl groups in molecular square cause decomposition of the assembly due to pronounced Coulombic repulsion.