Laser photolysis study of dirhenium decacarbonyl: Evidence for a nonradical primary process

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/om00131a019

The photochemistry of Re₂(CO)₁₀, in cyclohexane was investigated by nanosecond laser flash photolysis (355-nm excitation). Experimental results verified that there are two photodissociation processes: one the well-known metal-metal bond scission to produce ·Re(CO)₅ and the other the newly found nonhomolytic process of dissociative CO loss. The CO dissociation process is more dominant in the photolysis of Re₂(CO)₁₀ than in that of Mn₂(CO)₁₀.