A kinetic investigation of arene exchange and substitution in (naphthalene)Cr(CO)3

The rate of (naphthalene)Cr(CO)3 with toluene in n-nonane to give (toluene)Cr(CO)3 is independent of the toluene concentration, whereas the rate of substitution by P(OMe)3 to give fac-Cr(CO)3[P(OMe)3]3 is first order with respect to the concentration of P(OMe)3. For a series of aromatic and heteroaromatic complexes of tricarbonylchromium, the order of substitutional lability is not necessarily mirrored in lability towards exchange.