The Direct Electrochemical Synthesis of Transition Metal Acetylacetonates

Acetylacetonates were prepared electrochemically in good yield using the pure liquid ligand, acetylacetone, as the solvent, in which the supporting electrolyte, tetra‐n‐butyammonium hexafluorophosphate, was dissolved; the metal of interest served as the electrodes. The products were characterized by UV‐visible spectrometry (color) and mass spectrometry. Both a lower, M(AcAc)₂, and a higher, M(AcAc)₃, oxidate state were formed for the cobalt and manganese systems; the identity of the product(s) could be biased by a careful choice of the potential used for the synthesis.

Keywords:

• acetylacetone
• transition metals
• synthesis
• electrolysis

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Robert A. Welch Foundation in the form of a scholarship (SRL) and to the University Cooperative Society for the purchase of the metals used in this work.