Preparative-scale organometallic chemistry in supercritical fluids; isolation of [Cr(CO)5(C2H4)] as a stable solid at room temperature

Abstract

A miniature flow reactor has been developed for photochemical reactions in supercritical fluids; [Cr(CO)₅(C₂H₄)] is isolated, for the first time, by the UV photolysis of [Cr(CO)₆] in supercritical C₂H₄ at room temp, with a yield of ca. 40 mg per hour at ca. 80% purity as estimated by IR spectroscopy.