Ferrocene compounds. XXVII. Synthesis and structure of 2-(ferrocenylmethyl)propane-1,3-diol

The title compound was obtained by reduction of diethyl (ferrocenylmethyl)m alonate with lithium aluminium hydride in diethyl ether. The structure of t his novel ferrocene derivative was assigned by means of elemental analysis, IR, [H-1]NMR, and [C-13]NMR spectroscopy. The structure was also confirmed by a single crystal X-ray study. The compound crystallizes in monoclinic P 2(1)/a space group with unit cell dimensions: a = 9.7360(6), b = 27.040(5), c = 14.767(3) Angstrom, beta = 103,835(6)degrees, V = 3774.8(11) Angstrom (3), Z= 12. The asymmetric unit contains three crystallographically indepen dent molecules, In the ferrocenyl moieties, the Fe-C bond distance values a re in the range 2.006(5)-2.051(3) Angstrom and C-C distances in the range 1 .366(7)-1.425(4) Angstrom. The cyclopentadienyl rings in each of the molecu les are mutually twisted by about 13 degrees from the eclipsed conformation . The hydroxyl groups are involved in the intermolecular O-H . . .O hydroge n bond formation with O . . .O distances in the range 2.686(3)-2.801(4) Ang strom forming infinite two-dimensional network in a [0 0 1] plane. The crys tal structure is additionally stabilized by C-H . . .O weak intermolecular hydrogen bonds.