The reaction of ferricinium ion with phenylazotriphenylmethane

Abstract

Ferricinium tetrafluoroborate, when treated with phenylazotriphenylmethane in acetic acid, affords inter alia phenylferrocene and a trace of 1,1?-diphenylferrocene both of which products probably arise by attack of free phenyl radicals on ferricinium ion. Produced in the same reaction are triphenylmethylferrocene and 1,1?-di-(triphenylmethyl)ferrocene, and these compounds are also formed by treatment of ferrocene with triphenylcarbinol. The relevance of these results to the mechanism of the arylation of ferrocene with diazonium salts is discussed.