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Updated: Oct 29, 2025

Synthesis of a Water-soluble Metal–Organic Complex Array
Published on: October 8, 2016
An Organometallic Isostere of an Amino Acid
Sanjay Gaire1, Briana R Schrage1, Christopher J Ziegler1
1Department of Chemistry, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44312-3601, United States.
Abstract:
An organometallic complex that mimics an amino acid, also known as an amino acid isostere, can be synthesized from a functionalized bipyridine ligand and a fac-[Re(CO)3]+ center. The reaction of an achiral ligand and metal results in a racemic mixture of chiral-at-metal complexes. These metal species have amine and carboxy termini, a side chain type unit that can be varied, as well as the chiral metal that is analogous to the α carbon of an amino acid. The racemic mixtures can be separated into enantiomers by chiral chromatography, and the metal complexes can be incorporated into peptides by using solid-phase peptide synthesis.
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