Manganese with osmium

If the region between helium and uranium contains 91 elements then five are as yet undiscovered. These have been predicted and named (1) eka-manganese with an atomic number 43 and an atomic weight approximately 100 (2) dwi-manganese, atomic number 75 falling between tungsten and osmium (3) eka-iodine, atomic number 85 (4) eka-neodym-ium, a rare earth element of atomic number 61 and (5) eka-caesium of atomic number 87. Of these, greatest interest has... 

In order to overcome certain difficulties such as the dissipation of heat and the use of inflammable mixtures, certain liquid phase processes have been proposed for the oxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons and compounds. In such a process 100 the aromatic hydrocarbons or their halogenated derivatives are treated with air or gas containing free molecular oxygen in the liquid phase at temperatures above ISO0 C. and under pressure in the presence of a substantial quantity of liquid water. A small quantity of such oxidation catalysts as oxides or hydroxides of copper, nickel, cobalt, iron or oxides of manganese, cerium, osmium, uranium, vanadium, chromium and zinc is used. The formation of benzaldehyde from toluene is claimed for the process. 

Both KMn04 and OSO4 form a cyclic intermediate when they react with an alkene. The reactions occur because manganese and osmium are in a highly positive oxidation state and, therefore, attract electrons. (Since the oxidation state is given by the number... 

Whereas several catalytic methods are currently available for manganese-catalyzed epoxidation with aqueous H2O2, high turnover numbers for cis-dihydroxylation reactions so far have only been achieved with osmium compounds 161-165). However, manganese-catalyzed oxidation reactions have a few inherent advantages, such as the low price of the manganese salts and complexes and their non-toxic nature. 

Chemical ingenuity in using the properties of the elements and their compounds has allowed analyses to be carried out by processes analogous to the generation of hydrides. Osmium tetroxide is very volatile and can be formed easily by oxidation of osmium compounds. Some metals form volatile acetylacetonates (acac), such as iron, zinc, cobalt, chromium, and manganese (Figure 15.4). Iodides can be oxidized easily to iodine (another volatile element in itself), and carbonates or bicarbonates can be examined as COj after reaction with acid. 

Iseler, G. W. et al., Int. Conf. Indium Phosphide Relat. Mater., 1992, 266 Reaction of beryllium, copper, manganese, thorium or zirconium is incandescent when heated with phosphorus [1] and that of cerium, lanthanum, neodymium and praseodymium is violent above 400°C [2], Osmium incandesces in phosphorus vapour, and platinum bums vividly below red-heat [3], Red phosphorus shows very variable vapour pressure between batches (not surprising, it is an indeterminate material). This leads to explosions when preparing indium phosphide by reactions involving fusion with phosphorus in a sealed tube [4],... 

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