The chemistry of group-VIb metal carbonyls

Abstract

The special interest attached to the chemistry of metal carbonyls arises from several causes. While quite distinct from the metal carbonyls in the organometallic compounds, they differ in physical properties (e.g., their volatility) from all other compounds of the transition metals. Chemically, they constitute a group of compounds in which the formal valency of the metal atoms is zero, and in this respect (apart, perhaps, from the ammoniates of the alkali metals) they are comparable only with the recently discovered compounds. As a class, the carbonyls are reactive compounds, and a number of new types of inorganic compounds have been discovered. In the concepts for new products, performance, product safety, and product economy criteria are equally important. They are taken into account already when the raw material base for a new industrial product development is defined. Since the discovery of nickel carbonyl by Mond and Langer in 1888, the carbonyls of the iron group and of chromium, molybdenum and tungsten have found important technical applications, e.g., in the Mond nickel process, and for the preparation of the metals in a state of subdivision and of purity suitable for powder metallurgy, for catalysts, etc. The reaction mechanism of the processes developed for producing the carbonyls technically has only recently received its interpretations. Within the space of review it is necessary to limit discussion to a few topics. Particular stress has accordingly laid upon (a) the chemical bonding in metal carbonyls, (b) importance of IR and NMR spectroscopy in characterization of metal carbonyls, (c) substitution reactions of G-VIb metal carbonyls, (d) kinetics and mechanism of substitution reactions in metal carbonyls, (e) substituted complexes of G-VIb metal carbonyl, (f) chelate complexes of G-VIb metal carbonyls, (g) uses of G-VIb metal carbonyl complexes and (h) studies done on G-VIb metal carbonyls.