Metal complexes with catechols

Transition metal complexes with o-dioxolene ligands constitute one of the most intriguing classes of complexes as far as their electrochemical behaviour is concerned, in that, as already mentioned in Chapter 5, Section 1, such ligands are able to shuttle through the oxidation states o-benzoquinone)o-benzosemiquinone/catecholate illustrated in Scheme 250 (a process carried out in nature by the dicopper (I I)-based enzyme catechol oxidase through a single two-electron step see Chapter 9, Section 1.2). 

Rates of ligand exchange depend quite strongly on the coordina-tive environment of the metal center. The water exchange rate of Fe(H2O)5(OH)is almost three orders of magnitude higher than that of Fe(H20)g+, and follows a dissociative, rather than an associative exchange mechanism (20). Fe(1120)5(OH)has also been shown to form inner-sphere complexes with phenols (27), catechols (28), and a-hydroxycarboxylic acids (29) much more quickly than Fe(H20) +. The mechanism for complex formation with phenolate anion (A-) is shown below (27) ... 

These complexes combine a central metal in a high oxidation state with a redox active ligand (catechol). This combination arises from the idea that the electronic perturbation induced in the metal complex by reaction with dioxygen can discharge itself ... 

V(OH)2 is a strong reducing agent and freshly prepared V(OH)2 reacts with water with dihydrogen evolution. In acidic solution, reduction of water may be induced by UV radiation.138 From solutions containing complexes with catechol there is evolution of dihydrogen with simultaneous oxidation of the metal to vanadium(III). The reaction is first order in vanadium(II) and autocatalytic (Scheme 7).145... 

Aromatic polyalcohols act as strong coordinating agents and Table 17 summarizes reported formation constants. The complexes are quite stable this behaviour has been used for the qualitative and quantitative determination of vanadium (e.g. refs. 494 and 495). At pH 3-4, an initial vanadyl catechol complex slowly converts to a tris complex.496 In fact complexes with 1 3 metal-ligand stoichiometry have been isolated (see below), but since in the equilibrium (30) no protons are consumed or liberated, [VO(cat)2]2- and [V(cat)3]2 are not distinguishable by potentiometric studies. 

Platinum(II)15 and palladium(II)16 complexes of phosphorus trichloride undergo solvolysis in water and alcohols to form complexes with orthophosphorous acid or orthophosphite ligands (equation 6). Similar reactions occur between the palladium(II) phenyldichlorophosphine complex (8) and the diols ethyleneglycol and catechol, but new chelate rings are not formed (Scheme 2). Solvolysis also occurs with attack of diphenylphosphinic acid or a similar diphenylchlorophosphine complex (9) (equation 7). The palladium complexes (8) and (9) are unstable to excess methanol, water or base and undergo reduction. Similarly, the phosphorus trichloride gold(I) complex (10) is reduced by water, but forms stable products on reaction with alcohols (equation 8).15 During the above reactions, the phosphorus—metal bond remains intact and the overall process is one of substitution at phosphorus. 

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