The thermal dissociation process of metal carbonyls on the heated Re surface: Fe(CO)5 and Mn2(CO)10

Abstract

Thermal dissociation processes of Fe(CO) 5 and Mn 2 (CO) 10 were investigated under conditions where gaseous molecules impinge on an incandescent rhenium surface, using the surface ionization (SI) technique in conjunction with mass spectrometric detection. In the case of Fe(CO) 5 this process is dominated by thermal dissociation of the compound in a sequential manner, releasing carbonyl ligands, followed by ionization of the dissociated species. In the case of Mn 2 (CO) 10 , a metal—ligand cleavage reaction occurs in competition with the metal—metal cleavage process and produces bare metal atoms and dimetallic species.