EFFECT OF ARENE SUBSTITUENTS AND TEMPERATURE ON THE ARENE REPLACEMENT REACTIONS OF ((η5-C5H5)FE(η6-ARENE))+ AND ((η5-C5H5)RU(η6-ARENE))+

Results are reported for investigations to identify the photoactive excited states, delineate substitutent effects, and determine the temperature dependence of the quantum yield for Fe(II)- and Ru(II)-substituted arene complexes. These studies indicate metal-arene bond cleavage for complexes of both metals is nearly complete in the reactive excited state, but nucleophilic interactions of the medium in the transition state ultimately control the quantum yield of arene release for a given complex.