Supramolecular arrangement of molybdenum carbonyl metallosurfactants with CO-releasing properties

Abstract

Two families of molybdenum carbonyl metallosurfactants, Mo(CO)₅L and Mo(CO)₄L₂, were synthesized using the functionalized phosphines, Ph₂P(CH₂)nSO₃Na (n = 2, 6, 10) and characterized by the usual spectroscopic and spectrometric methods. The study of the supramolecular arrangements of these compounds in aqueous medium has been performed by surface tension, fluorescence, dynamic light scattering, cryo-TEM, and small angle X-ray scattering. All data points to the formation of medium and large vesicular structures with a membrane similar to the classical lipid bilayer, but it contains organometallic fragments instead of simple hydrophobic chains. Studies of CO releasing with these molybdenum carbonyl metallosurfactants have shown their viability as a promising CO releasing molecules.