From: Lalor, Fergus (f.lalor$##$ucc.ie)
Date: Fri Oct 03 2003 - 05:21:06 EDT
Fellow organikers -
We have recently decided to remove the acetylation of ferrocene from our
3rd. Year organic practical class because of concerns about the toxicity of
the major product, acetylferrocene. Hence we are now looking for a suitable
replacement. The original reasons for including the ferrocene experiment
were:
(1) Hands-on experience of a transition metal organometallic compound which
does not require special conditions or apparatus..
(2) Experience of purification of ferrocene by vacuum sublimation.
(3) Experience of a Friedel-Crafts experiment on an unusual substrate
(4) Experience of a simple synthetic procedure where the products are easily
separable by flash chromatography and, importantly, are all coloured and
rtherefore eadily visible on the column.
(5) Ready identification of major and minor products by H and C NMR.
Point (1) is no longer relevant as an equally relevant experiment is now
part of their inorganic practical. Point (2) is of marginal importance as
sublimation is hardly a main-stream purification technique. Point (3) was
always problematical as - unfortunately - the mysteries of our timetable
ensure that the practical takes place a whole term ahead of the relevant TM
organometallic lectures.
What we need as a replacement, then, is a new experiment that fits criteria
(4) and (5). I and a colleague have done some trawling through J. Chem. Ed.
and some lab textbooks without finding anything really appropriate. Any
suggestions would be most gratefully received. I should mention that our
replacement should be capable of being completed in two 4 hr laboratory
sessions.
Regards -
Fergus
Dr. Fergus John Lalor
Senior Lecturer
Department of Chemistry
University College
Cork
Ireland.
Telephone: 00353-21-4902317
Fax: 00353-21-4274097
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