Photoactivation of triosmium dodecacarbonyl at 400 nm probed with time-resolved X-ray liquidography

The photoactivation mechanism of Os3(CO)12 at 400nm is examined with time-resolved X-ray liquidography. The data reveal two pathways: the vibrational relaxation following an internal conversion to the electronic ground state and the ligand dissociation to form Os3(CO)11 with a ligand vacancy at the axial position.