HYDROGENATION REACTIONS WITH HYDRIDOCOBALT TETRACARBONYL

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/S0022-328X(00)89054-3

The tetrasubstituted ethylene, bifluorenylidene, reacts very rapidly (4.06*10^-2 l mol^-1 sec^-1 at 0 deg C) with HCo(CO)4 to give bifluorenyl. α-Phenylacrylonitrile (atroponitrile) reacts even more rapidly under the same conditions (6.0 l mol^-1 sec^-1).Other highly substituted ethylenes react very slowly with HCo(CO)4, indicating considerable steric effects.The data are consistent with radical type intermediates.