Metal carbonyls vanadium hexacarbonyl

The most general method for the preparation of carbonyl arene complexes is substitution of CO groups in metal carbonyls. Vanadium hexacarbonyl undergoes disproportionation in the presence of arenes ... 

The mononuclear metal carbonyls contain only one metal atom, and they have comparatively simple structures. For example, nickel tetracarbonyl is tetrahedral. The pentacarbonyls of iron, ruthenium, and osmium are trigonal bipyramidal, whereas the hexacarbonyls of vanadium, chromium, molybdenum, and tungsten are octahedral. These structures are shown in Figure 21.1. 

For example, in Ni(CO) nickel metal having 28 electrons coordinates four CO molecules to achieve a total of 36 electrons, the configuration of the inert gas krypton. Nearly every metal forming a carbonyl obeys the 18-electron rule. An exception is vanadium, forming a hexacarbonyl in which the number of electrons is 35. This carbonyl, which has a paramagnetism equivalent to one unpaired electron, however, readily adds one electron to form a closed valence shell complex containing the V(CO)(, anion. 

The neutral complexes of chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, and vanadium are six-coordinate and the CO molecules are arranged about the metal in an octahedral configuration as shown in stmcture (3). Vanadium carbonyl possesses an unpaired electron and would be expected to form a metal—metal bond. Steric hindrance may prevent dimerization. The other hexacarbonyls are diamagnetic. 

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