Generation of volatile cobalt species by UV photoreduction and their tentative identification

Abstract

Generation of volatile cobalt carbonyl was accomplished by exposing a solution of inorganic cobalt, containing low molecular weight organic acids, to UV irradiation. The gaseous products were removed from the liquid phase in a gas–liquid separator and transported to a Pyrex U-tube cryogenic trap. Following cryocondensation of the products using a dry ice–acetone bath, the U-tube was placed in a hot water bath (35–40 °C) and the trapped species were introduced to an ICP-MS for estimation of the efficiency of generation. Alternatively, the gas phase containing the Co species was sampled with a gastight syringe and injected into a GC-MS for species identification. The product, which is stable for periods in excess of 60 minutes, is tentatively identified as a carbonylated cobalt species, generated with an efficiency of 0.3–0.4%