Carbonyl complexes of tungsten

Two distinct classes of promoters have been identified for the reaction simple iodide complexes of zinc, cadmium, mercury, indium and gallium, and carbonyl complexes of tungsten, rhenium, ruthenium and osmium. The promoters exhibit a unique synergy with iodide salts, such as hthium iodide, under low water conditions. Both main group and transition metal salts can influence the equilibria of the iodide species involved. A rate maximum exists under low water conditions and optimization of the process parameters gives acetic acid with a selectivity in excess of 99% based upon methanol. IR spectroscopic studies have shown that the salts abstract iodide from the ionic methyl iridium species and that in the resulting neutral species the migration is 800 times faster [127]. 

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