Non-volatile iron carbonyls as versatile precursors for the synthesis of iron-containing nanoparticles

Though a largely insoluble solid, when gently heated with alkyl amines, triiron dodecacarbonyl readily converts to a highly soluble, non-volatile, low-toxicity precursor for the synthesis of iron-containing nanoparticles. We show that this precursor is a convenient replacement for the volatile and highly toxic iron pentacarbonyl.