Metal Carbonyl

Metal Carbonyl

Metal carbonyls are coordination complexes of transition metals with carbon monoxide ligands. They occur as neutral complexes, as positively charged metal carbonyl cations or as negatively charged metal carbonylates. The carbon monoxide ligand may be bond terminally to a single metal atom or bridging to two or more metal atoms. These complexes may be homoleptic, that is containing only CO ligands, such as nickel carbonyl (Ni(CO)₄), but more commonly metal carbonyls are heteroleptic and contain a mixture of ligands.

Metal carbonyls are useful in organic synthesis and as catalysts or catalyst precursors in homogeneous catalysis, such as hydroformylation and Reppe chemistry. In the Mond process, nickel carbonyl is used to produce pure nickel. In organometallic chemistry, metal carbonyls serve as precursors for the preparation of other organometalic complexes.

Metal carbonyls are toxic by skin contact, inhalation or ingestion, in part because of their ability to carbonylate hemoglobin to give carboxyhemoglobin, which prevents the binding of O₂.