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    Below is shown a 3D representations of several of the molecules studied in the Kukolich lab.   Notice the common themes of one metal center and high molecular symmetry.  Rotate and twist the molecules into your favorite viewing positions with the mouse by holding down the left mouse button and dragging the cursor over the image.


 
 




This molecule is tetracarbonyl-dihydroiron, it has four CO (carbon monoxide) groupd and two hydrogens attached to the central iron atom.  The molecule is air,light and heat sensitive, thus getting a microwave spectrum was considerably difficult.  The molecule is an asymmetric top with C2v symmetry, the 'c' axis is coincident with the C2 symmetry axes and thus the moelcule has a 'c' type dipole moment.


The compound shown here is chloroferrocene, it is part od the ferrocene family which is typically two Cp (5 membered carbon rings) in a "sandwich " structure about the central metal atom.  In ferrocene this structure is so symmetric (D5d point group) that the molecule possesses no permanent dipole moment which is necessary for any microwave studies.  This is why we synthetically substituted one H atom with a Chlorine atom to get the molecule shown here.  Chloroferrocene has Cs symmetry and both 'a' and 'b' type permanent dipole moments.


The following molecule, cyclopentadienyl indium/thallium is similar to ferrocene except it has the "open-face" structure of only one Cp (Cyclopentadienyl) group attached to the metal atom.  This gives the molecule C5v symmetry and a very strong 'a' type dipole moment.  The high symmetry creates a simple microwave spectrum due to the molecular geometry being a "symmetric top",  this means that microwave light will spin the molecule tike a child's toy top.


The next molecule is benzenechromiumtricarbonyl.  It is also a symmetric top with C3v symmetry.  This popular inorganic compound has been extensively studied, and many of the structural studies (including Dr. Kukolich's) indicate that the 6 membered bezene ring has a long/short/long/short/long/short alternation of the C-C bonds, apparently due to interation with the CO groups.


The molecule below is tetracarbonylethyleneiron,  the molecule is very similar to the first shown on this page inboth structure and stability.  Work is currently in progress on obtaining spectra for deuterated isotopomers that will explicitly define the hydrogen coordinates in the molecule.  No previous structural studies have obtained this information.

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