Although generally considered inert, alkanes can be activated by certain organometallic complexes. This is both an essential biological process, exemplified by the enzyme cytochrome P-450, and one of the modern frontiers in synthetic organic chemistry. Metal-alkane complexes are proposed intermediates in several alkane activating reactions. This proposal concerns the synthesis of supramolecular organometallic compounds based on new planar and rigid tris(cyclopentadienyl) ligands. These compounds have been designed to form stable complexes with alkanes, and their preparation will allow for the first full structural characterization of a metal-alkane complex. The binding of alkanes to the metal centers will be studied by single crystal X- ray diffraction analysis, NMR, IR, and UV spectroscopies, electrochemistry, calorimetry, competitive binding experiments, and measurement of isotope effects. These studies will answer fundamental questions about the nature of the interactions between a metal center and an alkane. Understanding these interactions may someday aid in both the design of new alkane activating reactions and studies of alkane activating enzymes.
