One-electron oxidations of ferrocenes: a pulse radiolysis study

Using the pulse radiolysis technique we have studied the oxidation by various inorganic radicals of four water soluble ferrocene derivatives, hydroxyethyl, dimethylaminomethyl, monocarboxylic acid and dicarboxylic acid. We report the second order rate constants for these reactions, the stabilities and spectral properties of the ferrocinium products, and the electrochemically determined ferrocinium/ferrocene redox potentials. We also present preliminary estimates of tyrosine and tryptophan radical redox potentials obtained with the dicarboxylic acid ferrocene derivative as reference, and we discuss the relationship between redox potential differences and the reactivities of the ferrocenes with the inorganic radicals. (author)