Inclusion of ferrocene in a cyclodextrin-functionalized layered metal hydroxide: A new organometallic-organic-LDH nanohybrid

Cyclodextrin cavities have been grafted into a layered metal hydroxide to create hydrophobic nanopockets within the galleries of the inorganic solid. Neutral ferrocene molecules can be included within the grafted cavities by partitioning from a polar solvent to generate a new organometallic-organic-inorganic hybrid. The included ferrocene has been characterized by electronic and Raman spectroscopy. The capability of the cyclodextrin-functionalized solid to separate hydrophobic and hydrophilic derivatives of ferrocene is demonstrated.