Abstract
The electrochemistry of ferrocene derivatives has been investigated cyclovoltammetrical. It is found that the oxidation potentials and chemical stability are related to the number of the bridging chains. While the oxidation peak potentials are independent of solution pH in the range (2-10), In concentrated sulphuric acid media (1-SM) they shift linearly to less anodic potentials. This observation may form the basis of using ferrocenes as sensors for determining state of charge of lead-acid battery. However, it is found that the open circuit voltage of the ferrocenes tends to change rapidly even in neutral aqueous media. This may be related to the decomposition of the ferricinium ion or the dissolution of the ionic species in the acid media. Further work to establish the mechanism of this observation is continuing.