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Sustainable Preparation of an Earth-abundant Metal Acetylacetonate Complex

Sustainable Preparation of an Earth-abundant Metal Acetylacetonate Complex
Contributors
Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream | University of Toronto, St. George Campus
Associate Professor | Arizona State University
Beyond Benign, Inc.
Learning Objets
Summary
This experiment highlights the synthesis of the Earth-abundant metal complex, Fe(acac)3 (acac = acetylacetonate), using an approach that is greener than traditional published syntheses. Students will also have an opportunity to determine the magnetic susceptibility of this complex and to learn about NMR spectroscopy.

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Moderation state
Published
Object Type
Laboratory experiment
Audience
Upper/Advanced Undergraduate
Published on
Green Chemistry Principles
Waste Prevention
Atom Economy
Less Hazardous Chemical Syntheses
Safer Solvents and Auxiliaries
Design for Energy Efficiency
Catalysis
Learning Goals/Student Objectives
Coordination compounds are a main focus of inorganic chemistry and most undergraduate inorganic laboratory courses feature experiments that detail their synthesis, characterization, and applications. In performing the synthesis of Fe(acac)3, students have the opportunity to learn about the relative abundance and cost of transition metals, and that acetylacetonate ligands can be used to support a variety of homoleptic M(acac)2 and M(acac)3 complexes.

Students will use an optimized stoichiometry of the reaction, determine the overall yield, and have the option to analyze the 1H NMR spectrum of the product and determine its magnetic susceptibility using Evans method or a magnetic susceptibility balance. This introduction to magnetism requires inorganic chemistry lab students to consider how symmetry and ligand field strength contribute to d-orbital filling.
Common pedagogies covered
Hands-on learning

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Safety Precautions, Hazards, and Risk Assessment
None noted.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.59877/JFLG6789

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File (PDF, PPT, image, etc)
Creative Commons License