Sciencemadness Discussion Board

First and second group metal carbonyls possible?

John paul III - 27-6-2018 at 13:24

I've recently read somewhere that most metals form metal carbonyls. Immediately, I started searching for information
about alkaline/alkaline earth carbonyls, but to no avail. Do they
actually form? I'll be very grateful for any references

BromicAcid - 27-6-2018 at 13:34

Potassium carbonyl is supposedly an explosive compound. I've seen it tossed around as a general hazard while making potassium via reduction methods involving carbon.

MJ101 - 27-6-2018 at 16:47

I found this.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/metal-carbony...

Hopefully, this will help. :)

clearly_not_atara - 27-6-2018 at 17:18

I'm pretty sure that instead of "metal carbonyl", ions like croconate (CO)5(2-) and squarate (CO)4(2-) are formed when CO reacts with strongly reducing metals. For example, potassium reacts with carbon monoxide to form hexapotassium benzenehexolate:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0022190263...

DraconicAcid - 28-6-2018 at 09:48

Quote: Originally posted by clearly_not_atara  
I'm pretty sure that instead of "metal carbonyl", ions like croconate (CO)5(2-) and squarate (CO)4(2-) are formed when CO reacts with strongly reducing metals. For example, potassium reacts with carbon monoxide to form hexapotassium benzenehexolate:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0022190263...


This. You can't form a carbonyl with a group IA or IIA metal because they have no available d orbitals. The bond between a metal and carbon monoxide results from overlap between the molecular orbitals on CO and the d orbitals of the metal. That's why main group metals like tin and lead don't form carbonyl complexes, either.