Group 4 metallocenes in bioorganometallic chemistry

Group 4 metallocene complexes can form adducts or condensation products with a variety of typical biogenic molecules. In this account, examples are presented and discussed for the reactions of zirconocene or titanocene complexes with suitably protected/deprotected carbohydrate derivatives. Some methodological developments are shown for the attachment of aminoacid or peptide derived functional groups at the Cp-rings of the Group 4 bent metallocenes. Eventually, the reactions of methylzirconocene- and methyltitanocene cations with a series of short oligopeptides are discussed that lead to the formation of primary κO-adducts followed by O,N,O-chelate complex formation with methane evolution. The dynamic features of some such systems are discussed.