Direct electrochemical synthesis of cationic complexes

Abstract

The electrochemical oxidation of both transition and main-group metals in the presence of dimethyl sulphoxide (dmso) or acetonitrile plus tetrafluoroboric acid gives rise to salts of the type [ML₆][BF₄]_n[M = V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, Cd, or In; L = dmso or CH₃CN (not all combinations); n= 2 or 3, depending on M]. The electrochemical conditions described give gram quantities of product from 5–25 h electrolyses with simple apparatus.