| Names | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IUPAC name (benzene)tricarbonylchromium | |||
| Other names benzene tricarbonyl chromium, (benzene)chromium tricarbonyl, Benchrotrene, pi-benzenetricarbonylchromium | |||
| Identifiers | |||
3D model (JSmol) | |||
| ChemSpider | |||
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.031.939 | ||
| EC Number |
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PubChem CID | |||
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| Properties | |||
| Cr(C6H6)(CO)3 | |||
| Molar mass | 214.14 g/mol | ||
| Appearance | solid yellow crystals | ||
| Melting point | 163 to 166 °C (325 to 331 °F; 436 to 439 K) | ||
| nonsoluble | |||
| Solubility | THF, ether, benzene | ||
| Structure | |||
| tetrahedral, "piano stool" | |||
| Hazards | |||
| Occupational safety and health (OHS/OSH): | |||
Main hazards | Harmful through inhalation, contact with skin, or swallowed | ||
| GHS labelling: | |||
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| Warning | |||
| H302, H312, H332 | |||
| P261, P264, P270, P271, P280, P301+P312, P302+P352, P304+P312, P304+P340, P312, P322, P330, P363, P501 | |||
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). | |||
(Benzene)chromium tricarbonyl is an organometallic compound with the formula Cr(C6H6)(CO)3. This yellow crystalline solid compound is soluble in common nonpolar organic solvents. The molecule adopts a geometry known as "piano stool" because of the planar arrangement of the aryl group and the presence of three CO ligands as "legs" on the chromium-bond axis. [1]
(Benzene)tricarbonylchromium was first reported in 1957 by Fischer and Öfele, who prepared the compound by the carbonylation of bis(benzene)chromium. [2] They obtained mainly chromium carbonyl (Cr(CO)6) and traces of Cr(C6H6)(CO)3. The synthesis was optimized through the reaction of Cr(CO)6 and Cr(C6H6)2. For commercial purposes, a reaction of Cr(CO)6 and benzene is used:
Complexes of the type (Arene)Cr(CO)3 have been well investigated as reagents in organic synthesis. [3] The aromatic ring of (benzene)tricarbonylchromium is substantially more electrophilic than benzene itself, allowing it to undergo nucleophilic addition reactions. [4]
It is also more acidic, undergoing lithiation upon treatment with n-butyllithium. The resulting organolithium compound can then be used as a nucleophile in various reactions, for example, with trimethylsilyl chloride:
(Benzene)tricarbonylchromium is a useful catalyst for the hydrogenation of 1,3-dienes. The product alkene results from 1,4-addition of hydrogen. The complex does not hydrogenate isolated double bonds.
(Arene)Cr(CO)3 compounds undergo ligand exchange both thermally and photochemically: the arene is thermally labile, whereas the carbonyls are photolytically so. [5]