Formation of Catalytic Metal-Molecule Contacts

We describe a new strategy for the in situ growth of molecular wires predicated on the synthesis of a trifunctional "primed" contact formed from metal-carbon multiple bonds. The ruthenium-carbon [pi] bond provides structural stability to the molecular linkages under ambient conditions, and density functional calculations indicate the formation of an efficient conduit for charge carriers to pass between the metal and the molecule. Moreover, the metal-carbon [pi] bond provides a chemically reactive site from which a conjugated molecular wire can be grown in situ through an olefin metathesis reaction.