The anisotropic molecular motion of Fe(C5H5)2 and Co(C5H5)(CO)2 molecules in the supercages of faujasite-type zeolites has been examined by NMR and by Mössbauer spectroscopy. Static 2H quad-echo and {H-}13C
CP NMR techniques show that below 225 K the Fe(C5H5)2 molecules have no translational freedom, the only
motion being rapid rotation of the cyclopentadienyl rings about their 5-fold axes. This is indicated by an
axially symmetric powder pattern (δiso = 69.7 ppm, Ω = 75.0 ppm) in the {1H-}13C CP NMR spectrum and
a broad Pake-type powder pattern (QCC = 97.3 kHz) in the 2H NMR spectrum. As the temperature is raised
the molecules gain translational freedom, and at temperatures above 358 K isotropic molecular motion is
identified as the only type of molecular motion. A model is proposed suggesting that the translational, isotropic
motion is mainly caused by intracage, SII→SII jumps of the Fe(C5H5)2 molecules. Based on this model
activation energies and diffusion coefficients were calculated from the NMR parameters. The molecular motion
of intrazeolite Fe(C5H5)2 depends on the Si/Al ratio of the Na-faujasite host as well, being the highest for
Na-faujasites with the lowest Si/Al ratio. The higher amount of sodium cations in the supercages probably
causes a decrease in the energy barriers for site-to-site hopping. {1H-}13C CP NMR experiments show that
Co(C5H5)(CO)2 molecules get firmly fixed in the zeolite at 183 K. This observation enabled the study of the
OC−Co−CO bite angle, φ, by use of 13C Hahn-echo NMR experiments on enriched Co(C5H5)(13CO)2. The
presence of an inverted axially symmetric powder pattern with span, Ω, of 127 ppm and a second powder
pattern with Ω = 287 ppm indicate changes in the bite angle.