FTIR Spectroelectrochemical Studies on [Ru3(CO)12] and fac-[Re(Cl)(CO)3(4bzpy)2] (4bzpy = 4-benzoylpyridine)

Abstract

Incorporation of wire mesh platinum electrodes into a standard infrared solution cell yielded an inexpensive and easy to maintain optically transparent thin layer electrochemical (OTTLE) cell, well suited for IR analysis of species with half-lives of seconds to minutes. As test bed, two reactions were investigated, which are discussed in the literature: (i) for [Ru3(CO)12] evidence was found for at least partial reversibility in the two-electron reduction process to [Ru3(CO)11]2-, and (ii) for fac-[Re(Cl)(CO)3(4bzpy)2] (4bzpy = 4-benzoylpyridine) additional information concerning the two-step electron reduction of the two benzoylpyridine ligands (again partially reversible) could be obtained