CORE BINDING ENERGIES OF SOME METAL β-DIKETONATES AND β-DIKETONES IN THE VAPOR PHASE

The vapor-phase core binding energies of some tris β-diketonates of A1(III), V(III), Cr(III), and Fe(III) and of two β-diketones have been measured. The rather large shifts observed for the A1 2p energies are believed to be caused mainly by changes in the electrostatic potential at the A1 atom due to changes in the charges of the ligand atoms. Considerable resonance relaxation energy is associated with the core ionization of the carbonyl carbon atoms and the CH carbon atoms. The data for the metal hexafluoroacetylacetonates show that the metal d orbitals are not significantly involved in the bonding and suggest that there is no strong ligand → metal donor bonding.