Organometallic flow chemistry: solvento complexes

Abstract

Photolysis under optimised flow conditions of metal carbonyls [{Ln}M(CO)x] [{Ln}M(CO)x = Cr(CO)6, Mo(CO)6, W(CO)6, Mn(CO)3(η-C5H4Me), Re(CO)3(η-C5H5)] in tetrahydrofuran (THF) conveniently affords the synthetically versatile and labile solvento complexes [{Ln}M(CO)x-1(THF)], thereby obviating many of the caveats associated with photochemical syntheses using either 'batch' or falling film techniques. Conversions were optimised and yields assayed by a combination of in situ infrared spectroscopy and derivatisation as the corresponding triphenylphosphine complexes [{Ln}M(CO)x-1(PPh3)].