Solvolysis of heteroannularly substituted methylferrocenylcarbinyl acetates

The nature of the transmission of substituent effects from one cyclopentadienyl ring of ferrocene to a reaction center on the other ring was investigated by means of solvolysis studies on heteroannularly substituted methylferrocenylcarbinyl acetates. The evidence indicates that inductive or field effects predominate, and that resonance interactions play at most a minor role. A linear relationship exists between substituent effects in the solvolysis reaction and the reversible quarter-wave potentials of the appropriately substituted ferrocenes.