Ultrafast IR studies

Recent work in ultrafast IR studies has provided new insight into the mechanisms of metal complex radical generation and reactivity. Photochemical studies62 of Et-W (CO)3Cp have shown that the primary photochemical pathway was CO loss, as exemplified in Equation 10.43 for the methyl complex Me-W(CO)3Cp. A side reaction did produce radicals, but this may have occurred from vibrationally hot parent molecules. Both a and p C-H activation processes were observed. A general scheme elucidated for the ethyl complex is shown in Figure 10.3. 

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