Facile InCl 3-catalyzed room temperature synthesis and electrochemical behavior of ferrocene appended (R, S)- α-aminophosphonates

alpha-Aminophosphonates represent a significant category of the phosphorus family. Due to the additional 'N ' atom (s), these compounds exhibit interesting electronic, coordination, and electrochemical properties. In this regard, the present work is focused on the In(III)-catalyzed synthesis of new ferrocene-appended alpha-aminophosphonates using the well-known Kabachnik-Fields reaction. Notably, all the reactions proceed to complete at room temperature in ethanol to provide the products with excellent yields in the range of 87 - 95%. The reaction proceeded smoothly with a broader substrate scope containing -Cl, Br, F, NO 2 , t -butyl, and 3,5-dimethyl substituents at various positions. The purity of the products was assessed by analytical and spectroscopic techniques including 1 H, 13 C and 31 P NMR along with HR -MS spectroscopic analysis. Among 18 compounds, 17 derivatives were crystallized in triclinic and monoclinic systems with P-1, P2 1 /n, or P2 1 /c space groups. From the results, the length of P = O bonds exhibits a range spanning from 1.447(2) & Aring; ( 4c ) to 1.469(2) & Aring; ( 4l ). Additionally, the electrochemical studies of all the synthesized compounds showed an effective redox response. The presence of the phosphoryl group and the substituents have a distinct influence on the electrochemical behavior of the synthesized molecules.