Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Synthesis of pentacarbonyliron

mishka - 27-10-2015 at 00:39

Hi, has anyone successfully synthesized pentacarbonyliron in the lab? I have obtained the procedure from a text but some details are omitted - such as the time required to store the suspension under nitrogen.


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AJKOER - 27-10-2015 at 04:53

Have an idea for a new version of the prep substituting for iron powder nanoscale iron which appears to have commercial application (for example, see http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021951714... ) which you may be able to purchase. To quote from Wikipedia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanoscale_iron_particles :

"Nanoscale iron particles are sub-micrometer particles of iron metal. They are highly reactive because of their large surface area. In the presence of oxygen and water, they rapidly oxidize to form free iron ions. They are widely used in medical and laboratory applications and have also been studied for remediation of industrial sites contaminated with chlorinated organic compounds."

My supposition is that their high reactivity could be demonstrated also with CO. So, no 12 hours of vigorous stirring (try 12 minutes,..seconds!!? ).

[Edited on 27-10-2015 by AJKOER]

JJay - 27-10-2015 at 05:12

Pentacarbonyliron... that's an interesting substance :) I've thought about experimenting with it before, but I'm usually reluctant to play with toxic substances unless I know for sure that they will work. Carbonyl nickel is somewhat easier to make. Please let us know if you carry out any procedures with metal carbonyl compounds :)