Metal carbonyls characterization

The reaction between a trinuclear metal carbonyl cluster and trimetbyl amine borane has been investigated (41) and here the cluster anion functions as a Lewis base toward the boron atom, forming a B—O covalent bond (see Carbonyls). Molecular orbital calculations, supported by stmctural characterization, show that coordination of the amine borane causes small changes in the trinuclear framework. 

In the following review we will focus on two classes of systems dispersed metal particles on oxide supports as used for a large variety of catalytic reactions and a model Ziegler-Natta catalyst for low pressure olefin polymerization. The discussion of the first system will focus on the characterization of the environment of deposited metal atoms. To this end, we will discuss the prospects of metal carbonyls, which may be formed during the reaction of metal deposits with a CO gas phase, as probes for mapping the environment of deposited metal atoms [15-19]. 

Supported metal carbonyl clusters are alternatively formed from mononuclear metal complexes by surface-mediated synthesis [5,13] examples are [HIr4(CO)ii] formed from Ir(CO)2(acac) on MgO and Rh CCOlie formed from Rh(CO)2(acac) on y-Al203 [5,12,13]. These syntheses are carried out in the presence of gas-phase CO and in the absence of solvents. Synthesis of metal carbonyl clusters on oxide supports apparently often involves hydroxyl groups or water on the support surface analogous chemistry occurs in solution [ 14]. A synthesis from a mononuclear metal complex precursor is usually characterized by a yield less than that attained as a result of simple adsorption of a preformed metal cluster, and consequently the latter precursors are preferred when the goal is a high yield of the cluster on the support an exception is made when the clusters do not fit into the pores of the support (e.g., a zeolite), and a smaller precursor is needed. 

Rigby J, Kondratenkov M (2004) Arene Complexes as Catalysts. 7 181-204 Risse T, Freund H-J (2005) Spectroscopic Characterization of Organometallic Centers on Insulator Single Crystal Surfaces From Metal Carbonyls to Ziegler-Natta Catalysts. 16 117-149... 

Spectroscopic Characterization of Organometallic Centers on Insulator Single Crystal Surfaces From Metal Carbonyls to Ziegler-Natta Catalysts... 

Coordination compounds of d10, diamagnetic, Ir(-I) are very rare and are almost always synthesized via reduction of the parent Ir1 ds complex. The synthesis, characterization, and chemical properties of highly reduced metal carbonyl anions, including Ir, have been reviewed by Ellis in 1990.752... 

In 1981, the first report on the sonochemistry of discrete organometallic complexes demonstrated the effect of ultrasound on iron carbonyls in alkane solutions (174). The transition metal carbonyls were chosen for these initial studies because their thermal and photochemical reactivities have been well characterized. The comparison among the thermal, photochemical, and sonochemical reactions of Fe(CO)5 provides an excellent example of the unique chemistry which homogeneous cavitation can... 

Already a considerable number of transient organometallic species have been characterized by IR kinetic spectroscopy (see Table I). Like most other sporting techniques for structure determination, IR kinetic spectroscopy will not always provide a complete solution to every problem. What it can do is to provide more structural information, about metal carbonyl species at least, than conventional uv-visible flash photolysis. This structural information is obtained without loss of kinetic data, which can even be more precise than data from the corresponding uv-visible... 

While the chemistry of metal carbonyl complexes has enjoyed a rather long and colorful history, being extensively studied and widely reviewed (7-3), the synthesis and reactivity of the group 4B (Ti, Zr, Hf) metal carbonyls have developed relatively slowly. Although the first well-characterized group 4B metal carbonyl complex, bis(i7-cyclopentadienyl)-dicarbonyltitanium (1), was reported by Murray of Monsanto Co. in... 

However, the pathways for these reactions, particularly in the gas phase, have been only -.rtially characterized. In a wide variety of these reactions, coordinatively unsaturated, highly reactive metal carbonyls are produced [1-18]. The products of many of these photochemical reactions act as efficient catalysts. For example, Fe(C0)5 can be used to generate an efficient photocatalyst for alkene isomerization, hydrogenation, and hydrosilation reactions [19-23]. Turnover numbers as high as 3000 have been observed for Fe(C0)5 induced photocatalysis [22]. However, in many catalytically active systems, the active intermediate has not been definitively determined. Indeed, it is only recently that significant progress has been made in this area [20-23]. 

Despite the considerable amount of information that has been garnered from more traditional methods of study it is clearly desirable to be able to generate, spectroscopically characterize and follow the reaction kinetics of coordinatively unsaturated species in real time. Since desired timescales for reaction will typically be in the microsecond to sub-microsecond range, a system with a rapid time response will be required. Transient absorption systems employing a visible or UV probe which meet this criterion have been developed and have provided valuable information for metal carbonyl systems [14,15,27]. However, since metal carbonyls are extremely photolabile and their UV-visible absorption spectra are not very structure sensitive, the preferred choice for a spectroscopic probe is time resolved infrared spectroscopy. Unfortunately, infrared detectors are enormously less sensitive and significantly slower... 

The development of comprehensive models for transition metal carbonyl photochemistry requires that three types of data be obtained. First, information on the dynamics of the photochemical event is needed. Which reactant electronic states are involved What is the role of radiationless transitions Second, what are the primary photoproducts Are they stable with respect to unimolecular decay Can the unsaturated species produced by photolysis be spectroscopically characterized in the absence of solvent Finally, we require thermochemical and kinetic data i.e. metal-ligand bond dissociation energies and association rate constants. We describe below how such data is being obtained in our laboratory. 

Conclusions. Time-resolved CO laser absorption spectroscopy can provide information useful in characterizing the primary photochemical channels in gas-phase transition metal carbonyls. We have found that product vibrational energy distributions indicate that W(CO)g and Cr(CO>6 dissociate via different... 

We have used such cells (J 4) to generate and measure the kinetic stability over a wide temperature range of a wide variety of unstable species. The easiest experiments - and the first performed - were simply the photolysis of a metal carbonyl in liquid xenon doped with dissolved N2 and hence replacement of CO by N2. The V(N-N) IR bands are little weaker than v(C-O) bands and hence detection and characterization are straightforward, particularly when use is made of previous matrix studies. Species examined include Cr (CO) (N )x x = Ni(CO)3(N ) ( 16). ... 

We tentatively prefer the latter, since compounds of this type have been isolated and, in one case, characterized crystallographic ally (12). The analog of this intermediate has not yet been observed with other metal carbonyls, but since the relative rates of its formation and decomposition may well differ from one... 

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