Electron spin resonance study of the reaction of Group 11 atoms with ketene

Abstract

¹⁰⁷ Ag atoms react with ketene in a rotating cryostat at 77 K to give two major paramagnetic products, a monoligand π-complex, Ag[CH₂CO] and a 2-silver-1-oxallyl, CH₂C(Ag)O and one minor product formed by addition of Ag to the carbonyl function that has tentatively been identified as α-silver oxyvinyl. These paramagnetic species have been examined by ESR spectroscopy and their magnetic parameters are reported. Au atoms also add to CH₂CO to give 2-gold-1-oxallyl [CH₂C(Au)O] and a π-complex, Au[CH₂CO]. The spectrum from Cu and CH₂CO is poorly resolved at low temperatures but the spectrum of 2-copper-1-oxallyl appears upon warming. This species seems to have two non-equivalent hydrogens at low temperatures which become equivalent above 273 K.