Infrared-Laser-Induced Gas-Phase Isomerization of Olefins in the Presence of Fe(CO)5

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/j150665a018

Irradiation of a mixture of 1-pentene or trans-2-pentene and Fe(CO)5 with a pulsed CO2 TEA laser at low pressures in the vapor phase results in the formation of isomeric mixtures of 1- and 2-pentenes and the consumption of Fe(CO)5.Isomerization occurs due to heating of the Fe(CO)5 caused by collisional deactivation of the excited pentene.This results in decomposition of Fe(CO)5 to yield chemically reactive coordinatively unsaturated iron carbonyls or iron atoms which can effect the cis, trans and positional isomerization of olefins.Both the initial and final pentene isomer ratios differ significantly from those observed in solution phase photochemically or in thermally initiated isomerization of the pentenes by iron carbonyls.