| Chemical Properties | bordeaux crystalline powder |
| Uses | Provides catalyst for ethylene polymerization. A precursor to other chromium(II) compounds. |
| General Description | Red needles or reddish-purple solid. |
| Air & Water Reactions | Chromocene is very sensitive to exposure to air and moisture (decomposition is not vigorous). Decomposes in water . |
| Reactivity Profile | Chromocene reacts with water and alcohols. . It's reaction with alcohols produces pyrophoric metal alkoxides (dialkoxychromium and cyclopentadiene). |
| Fire Hazard | Literature sources indicate that Chromocene is flammable. |
| Purification Methods | Chromocene forms pyrophoric red crystals on sublimation at 50o/0.1mm followed by resublimation at 75-90o/0.1mm. Although it is stable at least to 300o, it is readily oxidised in air, and effervesces slowly in H2O to give cyclopentadiene. All operations should be carried out in a dry box. It decomposes in CCl4 or CS2, and for IR even grinding with nujol, KBr or KI causes some decomposition. [Wilkinson et al. J Inorg Nucl Chem 95 109 1956, Wilkinson J Am Chem Soc 76 209 1954, Beilstein 16 IV 1774.] |
