Site-specific modification of proteins leads to invaluable structural and reactivity information for biochemical and medicinal studies and to new biotherapeutics. 1 Modification frequently depends on reaction of electrophilic reagents with nucleophilic atoms of the protein. 1 Classic examples include reaction of BrCN at S, 2a RNCS at N, 2b and electrophilic halogens at the tryptophan π-system. 2c The organic reagents which react with tryptophan or tyrosine react much more slowly or not at all with the less electron-rich phenylalanine. Moreover, the same electrophilic or oxidizing reagents also enter into unwanted side reactions with nucleophilic S-or N-donors. 1 Here we show that metal π-complexation to the arene-containing amino acid phenylalanine can succeed even in the face of S-and N-donor ligands found in methionine, cystine, or histidine, leaving these residues unchanged. Metal π-complexation to amino acids and dipeptides has been studied in nonaqueous solvents, 3 and metals have been covalently attached to proteins indirectly, by using organic ligands which are attached to mercapto or amino sites. 4 In contrast, here we report the attachment of a metal directly to an arene ring in a protein in water. Our strategy for reversible derivatization of aryl amino acids exploits the capability of CpRu + and Cp*Ru + fragments to bind to arenes, 3,5 providing air-stable products from which arene subsequently can be released on photolysis. We have made chelates 1, which unlike CpRu + and Cp*Ru + derivatives are new compounds featuring a bound amino ligand, 6 a nucleophile or water-solubilizing group locked by coordination until release by an incoming aryl amino acid. A series of experiments culminating with reaction of the small protein secretin at 10 -4 M concentrations demonstrate high arenophilicity and water tolerance in rapid room-temperature reactions, promising conditions for applications to proteins.Scheme 1 outlines the preparation of homologous chelates 1a,b. Without purification of intermediates, thallium salts 2 were formed in 56-60% overall yield from salts Br(CH 2 ) n NH 3 Br by monoalkylation of CpLi (2 equiv), 6d-8 protection of the amino nitrogen, and deprotonation of the resulting cyclopentadiene mixture using TlOEt. 7b Metathesis between 2 and [Cl(µ-Cl)Ru(η 6 -arene)] 2 and exchange to the noncoordinating PF 6 -anion 5a provided sandwich complexes 3, which were deprotected by hydrogenolysis. 5e,9 Photolysis of 4 in CH 3 CN produced 1. The rate of reaction was greater for the longer side chain (n ) 3) and for the smaller arene. 10a Conversely, arene complexation to 1 in CD 3 NO 2 is about 2 times faster for the shorter side chain, comparisons which may indicate that the chelate ring in 1a is more strained. 10b Arenes (Scheme 2) of widely disparate steric demand, such as 1,3-dimethylbenzene (5a) and 1,4-di-tert-butylbenzene (5b) readily opened chelate 1a under similar conditions (CD 3 NO 2 or CD 3 -OD, 60°C, 1-6 h), to give sandwich complexes 6. Amino acid derivatives 5c-h could also be used, ...