Robert P. Pinnell

The reaction of ferrocene with trichloromethane-sulfonyl chloride

Abstract Ferrocene reactswith sulfuryl and trichloromethanesulfonyl chlorides to give nearly quantitative yields of ferricinium tetrachloroferrate. A similar reaction is not observed with methane- or benzenesulfonyl chlorides. A free-radical mechanism is proposed based upon the known properties of the sulfonyl halides.

Synthesis and Properties of Organo-Cyanoborane Complexes of Pentaamminecobalt(III)

Abstract Organo-cyanoborane ligands of formula R-BH2‒C˭N (R is trimethylamine, pyridine, or triphenylphosphine) have been shown to displace the CF3SO3 anion from trifluoromethanesulfonatopentaamminecobalt(III) cations in acetone to yield the respective nitrile complexes. These new cyanoborane complexes have been characterized via elemental analysis and by IR, visible and NMR spectroscopy. The reactions of these complexes in aqueous base and attempts to aminate the cyanide group in liquid ammonia will be described. The synthesis of some analogous alkyl nitrile complexes is described as well as the kinetics of their hydration reactions in basic media.

Microscale dehydration of cyclohexanol using a macroreticular cation exchange resin as catalyst

There are few experiments for the undergraduate laboratory involving ion exchange resins as catalysts. In this experiment, cyclohexanol is dehydrated to cyclohexene using Amberlyst 15 macroreticular resin as an acid catalyst. The procedure is carried out with partners, one student using phosphoric acid-sulfuric acid catalyst, the other student using the resin. Yields and ease of manipulation between the two options are compared.

Determination of the half-life of thorium-234: A laboratory experiment

The procedure described here involves each student individually separating thorium from uranium and determining its half-life, in situ, on the ion-exchange column.