Osmocene is an organoosmium compound found as a white solid. It is a

metallocene A metallocene is a compound typically consisting of two cyclopentadienyl anions (, abbreviated Cp) bound to a metallic element, metal center (M) in the oxidation state II, with the resulting general formula Closely related to the metallocenes are ...

with the formula Os(C₅H₅)₂.

Synthesis

Osmocene is commercially available. It may be prepared by the reaction of

osmium tetroxide Osmium tetroxide (also osmium(VIII) oxide) is the chemical compound with the formula OsO4. The compound is noteworthy for its many uses, despite its toxicity and the rarity of osmium. It also has a number of unusual properties, one being that the ...

with

hydrobromic acid Hydrobromic acid is an aqueous solution of hydrogen bromide. It is a strong acid formed by dissolving the diatomic molecule hydrogen bromide (HBr) in water. "Constant boiling" hydrobromic acid is an aqueous solution that distills at and contains ...

followed by

zinc Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...

and

cyclopentadiene Cyclopentadiene is an organic compound with the chemical formula, formula C5H6. It is often abbreviated CpH because the cyclopentadienyl anion is abbreviated Cp−. This colorless liquid has a strong and unpleasant odor. At room temperature, ...

. It was first synthesized by

Ernst Otto Fischer Ernst Otto Fischer (; 10 November 1918 – 23 July 2007) was a German chemist who won the Nobel Prize for pioneering work in the area of organometallic chemistry. Early life He was born in Solln, a borough of Munich. His parents were Karl T. Fi ...

and Heinrich Grumbert via the reaction of osmium(IV) chloride with excess

sodium cyclopentadienide Sodium cyclopentadienide is an organosodium compound with the formula C5H5Na. The compound is often abbreviated as NaCp, where Cp− is the cyclopentadienide anion. Sodium cyclopentadienide is a colorless solid, although samples often are pin ...

dimethoxyethane Dimethoxyethane, also known as glyme, monoglyme, dimethyl glycol, ethylene glycol dimethyl ether, dimethyl cellosolve, and DME, is a colorless, aprotic, and liquid ether that is used as a solvent, especially in batteries. Dimethoxyethane is mi ...

, where osmium(II) chloride is presumed to be an intermediate formed ''in situ''. Alternatively, cyclopentadienyl magnesium bromide could be reacted with osmium(IV) chloride, though this has worse yields.

Properties

Osmocene is a white solid. The molecular structure features an osmium ion sandwiched between two

cyclopentadienyl Cyclopentadienyl can refer to * Cyclopentadienyl anion, or cyclopentadienide, ** Cyclopentadienyl ligand * Cyclopentadienyl radical, • * Cyclopentadienyl cation, See also * Pentadienyl {{Chemistry index ...

rings. It is isomorphous to the lighter homologue

ruthenocene Ruthenocene is an organoruthenium compound with the formula (C5H5)2Ru. This pale yellow, volatile solid is classified as a sandwich compound and more specifically, as a metallocene. Structure and bonding Ruthenocene consists of a ruthenium ion sa ...

, both crystallizing in an eclipsed conformation. This is in contrast to

ferrocene Ferrocene is an organometallic chemistry, organometallic compound with the formula . The molecule is a Cyclopentadienyl complex, complex consisting of two Cyclopentadienyl anion, cyclopentadienyl rings sandwiching a central iron atom. It is an o ...

, which crystallizes with its rings staggered. Compared to ferrocene and ruthenocene, osmocene is less reactive towards electrophilic aromatic substitution but has the greatest tendency towards

adduct In chemistry, an adduct (; alternatively, a contraction of "addition product") is a product of a direct addition of two or more distinct molecules, resulting in a single reaction product containing all atoms of all components. The resultant is ...

formation with

Lewis acid A Lewis acid (named for the American physical chemist Gilbert N. Lewis) is a chemical species that contains an empty orbital which is capable of accepting an electron pair from a Lewis base to form a Lewis adduct. A Lewis base, then, is any ...

s. The osmocenium cation s(C₅H₅)₂sup>+ dimerizes, forming a binuclear complex with an Os-Os bond. In contrast, the decamethylosmocenium cation s(C₅(CH₃)₅)₂sup>+ is stable as the monomer.

Uses

In 2009, Horst Kunkely and Arnd Vogler reported the possibility of photocatalytic water splitting with osmocene as a catalyst.

References

{{Cyclopentadienide complexes Metallocenes Organoosmium compounds