7/10/2012 - Beginnings of Carbonyl Chemistry

In 1928 a chemist by the name of Walter Heiber, also known as the father of carbonyl chemistry, started a systematic study of many metal carbonyls.  This allowed him to discover many of the hidden catalytic properties of these utilizable compounds.  Two of his most famous reactions were in the realm of Iron chemistry with the two following reactions:

Fe(CO)₅ + H₂NCH₂CH₂NH₂ →  (H₂NCH₂CH₂NH₂)Fe(CO)₃ + 2CO
Fe(CO)₅ + X₂ → Fe(CO)₄X₂ + CO

6/12/2012 - Synthesis of Silver Iodide

One of my fellow chemists asked me if I knew where she could purchase a single silver iodide crystal, and after a while searching without an answer I looked up the synthesis of this metal compound.  The procedure is fairly simple starting with dissolving silver nitrate (AgNO₃) in water, followed with the addition of potassium iodide (KI). A yellow precipitate will form immediately containing both the α-AgI and the β-AgI crystals which can be separated through different dissolution methods.

AgNO_{3 (aq)} + KI_(aq) → KNO_{3 (aq)} + AgI_(s)

Source: O. Glemser, H. Saur "Silver Iodide" in Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry, 2nd Ed. Edited by G. Brauer, Academic Press, 1963, NY. Vol. 1. p. 1036-7