Thin-layer electrochemistry of 1,3,5-triferrocenylbenzene: A unique two-step, three-electron redox process

The redox behavior of 1,3,5-triferrocenylbenzene (TFcB), a hydrophobic molecule with three structurally equivalent redox centers, was explored by thin-layer cyclic voltammetry (CV). Two pairs of redox waves were observed when the CV was recorded at a graphite electrode coated with a TFcB-containing thin film of nitrobenzene and immersed in aqueous sodium perchlorate solution, in contrast to the single pair of redox peaks obtained in conventional CV measurements. These results suggest that the redox reactions of TFcB occur in two distinct steps involving a total of three electrons, and that electronic intramolecular communication exists among the three ferrocenyl units.