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Concept
Iron pentacarbonyl
Summary
Iron pentacarbonyl, also known as iron carbonyl, is the compound with formula . Under standard conditions Fe(CO)5 is a free-flowing, straw-colored liquid with a pungent odour. Older samples appear darker. This compound is a common precursor to diverse iron compounds, including many that are useful in small scale organic synthesis.
Iron pentacarbonyl is a homoleptic metal carbonyl, where carbon monoxide is the only ligand complexed with a metal. Other examples include octahedral Cr(CO)6 and tetrahedral Ni(CO)4. Most metal carbonyls have 18 valence electrons, and Fe(CO)5 fits this pattern with 8 valence electrons on Fe and five pairs of electrons provided by the CO ligands. Reflecting its symmetrical structure and charge neutrality, Fe(CO)5 is volatile; it is one of the most frequently encountered liquid metal complexes. Fe(CO)5 adopts a trigonal bipyramidal structure with the Fe atom surrounded by five CO ligands: three in equatorial positions and two axially bound. The Fe–C–O linkages are each linear.
Fe(CO)5 exhibits a relatively low rate of interchange between the axial and equatorial CO groups via the Berry mechanism. It is characterized by two intense νCO bands in the IR spectrum at 2034 and 2014 cm−1 (gas phase).
Fe(CO)5 is produced by the reaction of fine iron particles with carbon monoxide. The compound was described in a journal by Mond and Langer in 1891 as "a somewhat viscous liquid of a pale-yellow colour." Samples were prepared by treatment of finely divided, oxide-free iron powder with carbon monoxide at room temperature.
Industrial synthesis of the compound requires relatively high temperatures and pressures (e.g. 175 atm at 150 °C) as well as specialized, chemically resistant equipment (e.g. composed of copper-silver alloys). Preparation of the compound at the laboratory scale avoids these complications by using an iodide intermediate:
FeI2 + 4 CO → Fe(CO)4I2
5 Fe(CO)4I2 + 10 Cu → 10 CuI + 4 Fe(CO)5 + Fe
The industrial production of this compound is somewhat similar to the Mond process in that the metal is treated with carbon monoxide to give a volatile gas.
Official source
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