Stoichiometric H2 production from H2O upon Mn2(CO)10 photolysis

Photolysis of Mn-2(CO)(10) in an alkane/water biphasic system has resulted in the generation of 1.80 +/- 0.16 mol of hydrogen per mol of Mn-2(CO)(10). Various studies including deuteration have indeed shown water to be the H-2 source while kinetic studies have indicated a strong correlation between the concentration of the key intermediate MnH(CO)(5) with the production rate of H-2. Some of the oxygen atoms of water have been incorporated into a white solid assigned to MnCO3. A mechanism accounting for MnH(CO)(5) formation from Mn-2(CO)(10) photolysis and subsequently H-2 production from MnH(CO)(5) has been proposed. (C) 2012 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.