Ferrocenyl-Alkyl-Protected
Sugar (Fc-Sug) and Ferrocenyl-Oxo-Alkyl-Protected
Sugar (Fc-Oxo-Sug) were deposited on the basal plane of Highly Oriented
Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG) using a drop-casting method. Ultrathin films
of these molecules were investigated using Atomic Force Microscopy
to understand the growth at low coverage. Both molecules are forming
highly ordered one-dimensional molecular islands, which are growing
from a dimer building block. The dimer and interdimer interactions
(along the length of islands) are stabilized by −C<sub>2</sub>O···H–C hydrogen bonding. Unlike for Fc-Sug,
the islands of Fc-Oxo-Sug are extended to tens of micrometers, and
the growth is only limited by terrace edges or other islands on the
surface. This exceptional growth of islands is understood in terms
of an additional −CO···H–C–
hydrogen bonding leading to stronger interdimer interactions along
the length of the islands compared to Fc-Sug
