Synthesis of polymers containing biarenes

[chem1234]

I am a high school chemistry AP student. In class, my teacher told us about how benzene's delocalized ∏ electrons can donate to a metal but it is not a strong bond. I wanted to know if it was possible to make a coordination compound that was also a polymer by using a biarene ligand, one end would attach to the metal, the other end to another, and so on. I also was curious as to the specifics of how benzene donates the e-s.
Thanks

 

[DDTea]

The types of compounds you are talking about are called metallocenes, or "sandwich compounds." The most well described one is Ferrocene. They're the result of a bond between one of the metal's d orbitals and the pi molecular orbital of the benzene ring (or other aromatic compound), which is situated above and below the plane of the ring.

I think I see what you're proposing: are you thinking of using a compound such as biphenyl, which has two aromatic rings that are not in conjugation with each other? Then there would be a metallocene bond to each ring by separate metals, and to the other side of the metal would be a ring from another biphenyl molecule, arranged such that the chain could be extended.. something like [Fe-(biphenyl)-Fe-(biphenyl)-Fe-(biphenyl)]n ?

Sounds reasonable in that I can't immediately think of a reason why it wouldn't work. Actually doing it sounds tricky, though. It would probably make a groovy helix as it stretches out. Your AP Chem teacher sounds awesome.