Fifty years of Vaska's compound

Kirss, Rein U.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/127847 Copy

Description

Title

Fifty years of Vaska's compound

Author(s)

Kirss, Rein U.

Issue Date

2013-03-15

Keyword(s)

• History
• Chemistry
• Biog vaska chem compd history

Abstract

Textbooks in organometallic chem. list transchlorocarbonylbis(triphenylphosphine) iridium (I) alongside the name "Vaska's compd.". The year 2011 represents fifty years since the synthesis and characterization of IrCl(CO)(PPh3)2 by Prof. Lauri Vaska. From the perspective of the history of chem., this anniversary raises a no. of questions. For example, who is Lauri Vaska. Vaska's work on group 8 and 9 transition metal compds. led to the discovery of a no. of low-valent complexes during the early days of the rapidly emerging field of organometallic chem. How did he discover the compd. that bears his name. What is the significance of IrCl(CO)(PPh3)2 and when did the term "Vaska's compd." first enter our vocabulary. We will also examine the question of whether or not Vaska really was the first to discover IrCl(CO)(PPh3)2 and his connection to the discovery of Wilkinson's catalyst.

Publisher

Division of the History of Chemistry

ISSN

1053-4385

Type of Resource

text

Genre of Resource

article

Language

eng

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/127847

DOI

https://doi.org/10.70359/bhc2013v038p052

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2013 Division of the History of Chemistry

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