Behavior of an optically active ferrocene chiral shell located within phosphorus-containing dendrimers

Three families of phosphorus-containing dendrimers having chiral ferrocenic subunits precisely placed at one individual shell within their skeleton are synthesized. The influence of the progressive burying of the chiral ferrocene derivatives upon their electrochemical and chiroptical properties is reported. It is shown that both properties depend mainly on the chemical environment of the chiral organometallic centers. However, they differ in the sensitivity to the burying; the chiroptical properties do not appear to be sensitive to where the chiral units are positioned within the dendrimer, whereas the electrochemical properties are.