Detection of an unusual intermediate in the photolysis of an iron tricarbonyl complex Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • 2017 Elsevier B.V. UV photoexcitation of trans-(4-BDA)Fe(CO)3 (1) in alkane solvent generated a short-lived isomeric species whose identity was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy and supported by DFT calculations. This intermediate (2) exhibits an unusual 2 coordination of the benzyl group to a vacant site on the iron center and is computed to be 7.8 kcal/mol less stable than 1. While thermal substitution of the BDA ligand from 1 by phosphites was found to be very slow at room temperature, photolysis of 1 in the presence of P(OEt)3 results in BDA displacement from 2 within seconds. Intermediate 2 may be of relevance in the previously reported photocatalyic dehydrogenation of formic acid by 1.

published proceedings

  • JOURNAL OF ORGANOMETALLIC CHEMISTRY

author list (cited authors)

  • Anju, R. S., Moncho, S., Brothers, E. N., Fan, W. Y., Madrahimov, S. T., & Bengali, A. A.

citation count

  • 0

complete list of authors

  • Anju, RS||Moncho, S||Brothers, EN||Fan, WY||Madrahimov, ST||Bengali, AA

publication date

  • January 2017