Sawhorse-type diruthenium tetracarbonyl complexes derived from pyrenyl-carboxylic acids

The thermal reaction of Ru3(CO)12 with pyrene-appended carboxylic acids, 1-pyrenecarboxylic acid, 1-pyreneacetic acid, and 1-pyrenebutyric acid, followed by addition of pyridine or triphenylphosphine, gives a series of sawhorse-type diruthenium tetracarbonyl complexes. The ability for these systems to act as molecular tweezers has been tested with C60.