Dr. John A.Gladysz, Chemistry Department, University of Utah, is supported by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic, and Organometallic Chemistry Program, to investigate complexes in which chains of sp hybridized carbon atoms span two transition metals. The objective of the project is to synthesize complexes in which wire-like sp hybridized carbon chains connect two transition metal end groups. After deprotonation of M(CC)nH the reaction with metal halides will link the two metals through an even number carbon chain, while reaction with coordinated carbon monoxide followed by deoxygenation of the carbonyl will yield a link with an odd number of carbon atoms. A series of preparations will be designed to produce the requisite metalla-poly-ynyl starting materials with a variety of carbon chain lengths. The charge transfer and redox chemistry of the dimetalla species will be determined to define the effect of chain length on the structure and electronic properties of the complexes. The compounds targeted in this investigation contain two metals that are linked through a long chain that consists solely of carbon atoms. These chains can serve as 'wires' through which electrons or magnetic information can be transferred from one metal to the other. As such they can form the basis for micro-electronic devices and for the basic understanding of how well separated metals can influence one another through extended linking units.
