Synthesis and properties of cyclic sandwich compounds

Cyclic nanometre-scale sandwich complexes assembled from individual building blocks were synthesized. Sandwich complexes, in which a metal ion is π-coordinated by two planar aromatic organic rings belong to the foundations of organometallic chemistry. They have been successfully used in a wide variety of applications ranging from catalysis, synthesis and electrochemistry to nanotechnology, materials science and medicine1,2. Extending the sandwich structural motif leads to linear multidecker compounds, in which aromatic organic rings and metal atoms are arranged in an alternating fashion. However, the extension to a cyclic multidecker scaffold is unprecedented. Here we show the design, synthesis and characterization of an isomorphous series of circular sandwich compounds, for which the term 'cyclocenes' is suggested. These cyclocenes consist of 18 repeating units, forming almost ideally circular, closed rings in the solid state, that can be described by the general formula [cyclo-MII(μ-η8:η8-CotTIPS)]18 (M = Sr, Sm, Eu; CotTIPS = 1,4-(iPr3Si)2C8H62-). Quantum chemical calculations lead to the conclusion that a unique interplay between the ionic metal-to-ligand bonds, the bulkiness of the ligand system and the energy gain on ring closure, which is crucially influenced by dispersion interactions, facilitate the formation of these cyclic systems. Up to now, only linear one-dimensional multidecker sandwich compounds have been investigated for possible applications such as nanowires3-10. This textbook example of cyclic sandwich compounds is expected to open the door for further innovations towards new functional organometallic materials.

Polyferrocenylsilanes: synthesis, properties, and applications

This comprehensive review covers polyferrocenylsilanes (PFSs), a well-established, readily accessible class of main chain organosilicon metallopolymer. The focus is on the recent advances involving PFS homopolymers and block copolymers and the article covers the synthesis, properties, and applications of these fascinating materials.

Synthesis and reactivity of functionalized cycloheptatrienyl-cyclopentadienyl sandwich complexes

This feature article provides an overview of the synthesis and reactivity of functionalized cycloheptatrienyl-cyclopentadienyl transition metal sandwich complexes of the type [(eta(7)-C(7)H(7))M(eta(5)-C(5)H(5))] (M = group 4, 5 or 6 metal), which can be used as building blocks for the preparation of metallopolymers and polymetallic complexes. Emphasis is placed on 16-electron group 4 complexes (M = Ti, Zr, Hf) and their reactivity towards sigma-donor/pi-acceptor ligands, which indicates that these complexes bear a close resemblance to Lewis acidic M(+IV) complexes. Based on theoretical calculations, this behavior can be mainly attributed to the strong and appreciably covalent metal-cycloheptatrienyl interaction with the cycloheptatrienyl ring acting more as a -3 ligand than as a +1 ligand in these mixed ring complexes.