Resumen de Displacement of the Benzene Solvent Molecule from Cr(CO)5(benzene) by Piperidine:: A Laser Flash Photolysis Experiment

Ashfaq A. Bengali, Samantha B. Charlton

• This laboratory experiment utilizes a nitrogen laser to investigate the chemistry of the Cr(CO)5(benzene) complex on the microsecond time scale. The unique capabilities of a laser and the chemistry made possible by its use is demonstrated. The Cr(CO)5(benzene) complex is formed by photolysis of Cr(CO)6 in benzene. The students investigate the rate and mechanism of the displacement of the solvent molecule from the chromium center by piperidine using the technique of laser flash photolysis. The role of the solvent in the reactions of coordinatively unsaturated organometallic molecules is emphasized. Studying this reaction at several temperatures allows the students to approximate the strength of the (CO)5Cr-benzene interaction.