Towards "designer" surfaces: functionalisation of self-assembled monolayer (SAM) on colloidal gold by alkene metathesis.

A variety of groups like a Fischer carbene complex, an N-hydroxysuccinimide or a ferrocene derivative have been grafted by ruthenium-catalyzed cross-metathesis reaction with terminal alkene groups on monolayer-protected gold clusters as a mild and convenient strategy to anchor functional molecules.