Chromium complexes, electron-transfer reactions

The excited-state redox reaction, equation (8.12), is thermodynamically favorable (E° > 0) while ground-state reaction, equation (8.13) is not (E° < 0). Therefore, a mixture of [Cr(phen)3]3+ and such a substrate will only undergo a redox reaction after the chromium complex has been excited. This is the process of photo-induced electron transfer light initiates an electron-transfer reaction. This experiment will explore how substrates such as DNA may be oxidized by the excited-state [Cr(phen)3]3+ complex. Because the electron-transfer reaction competes kinetically with luminescence, the presence of such a suitable substrate leads to a decrease in the intensity of luminescence. For this reason, the substrate is termed a quencher. 

Coordinatively saturated metal complexes that are kinetically inert with respect to ligand substitution may undergo outer-sphere electron transfer reactions with dioxygen. Typical examples include oxidations of six-coordinate chromium(II) complexes29 (Equation 4.6) and oxidations of polyoxometallate anions.30... 

X 10 M s and was 3.1 x 10 M s" at 25°C, pH 7.0 and ionic strength of 1.0 . Kinetic data was interpreted in terms of a mechanism of electron transfer from chromium(II) involving attack of Cr(II) adjacent to the Fe(III) center Analysis of the one-to-one chromium(III) cytochrome c complex revealed that the chromium(III) cross-linked two peptide fragments located in the heme.crevice by binding to tyrosine 67 and asparagine 52 The chromium(III) bound to reduced cytochrome c did not affect the ability of the protein to be reoxidized with ferricyanide and then to be reduced with dithionite . The chromium complex was oxidized by cytochrome oxidase at the same rate as the untreated ferrocytochrome c, however, the rate of reduction of the chromium complex by bovine heart submitochondrial particles was slower than that of untreated ferricytochrome c Thus, the binding of chromium(III) to cytochrome c appears to selectively inhibit its function in certain electron transfer reactions. 

Inorganic reactions exhibit their own trends, examples being outer-sphere electron transfer reactions of transition metal complexes reported by Wherland [70], In this case the rate depends on the difference rr -e because the high frequency solvent response, where n is the refractive index, represents the rapid response of the solvent to changes in the electric field produced by the electron transfer, whereas the permittivity responds much more slowly. Results for the electron exchange constants for ferrocene(0)/(l) studied by McManis et al. [72] and chromium bisdiphenyl(0)/(l) studied by Li and Brubaker [73] are shown in Table 8.7. The rate constants follow approximately the reverse order of the n - e function of the solvents. 

Oxidation—reduction, or electron-transfer, reactions, shown in the lower left of Figure 5.1, involve the oxidation or reduction of a coordinated transition metal atom or ion. The figure represents the simplest case of electron transfer—namely, one in which the coordination number remains constant. Equation (5.15) shows an example in which the hexaammineruthenium(III) ion is reduced by the reaction with the chromium(II) ion, and Equation (5.16) shows the oxidation of a hexacyanoferrate(II) complex by hexachloroiridate(IV). In neither of these complexes is the coordination number altered. 

Although the question of mechanism cannot be unambiguously resolved, an outer-sphere route is favoured. Electron-transfer reactions have also been utilized in the synthesis of alkylenediaminetetra-acetatochromate(iu) complexes, Cr(ata)HaO, the mechanism involving the rapid formation of the chromium(n) complexes... 

Thiocarbamate (tc, RHNCSO-) is a monodentate ambidentate ligand, and both oxygen- and sulfur-bonded forms are known for the simple pentaamminecobalt(III) complexes. These undergo redox reactions with chromium(II) ion in water via attack at the remote O or S atom of the S- and O-bound isomers respectively, with a structural trans effect suggested to direct the facile electron transfer in the former.1045 A cobalt-promoted synthesis utilizing the residual nucleophilicity of the coordinated hydroxide in [Co(NH3)5(OH)]2+ in reaction with MeNCS in (MeO)3PO solvent leads to the O-bonded monothiocarbamate, which isomerizes by an intramolecular mechanism to the S-bound isomer in water.1046... 

Chromium(II) is a very effective and important reducing agent that has played a significant and historical role in the development of redox mechanisms (Chap. 5). It has a facile ability to take part in inner-sphere redox reactions (Prob. 9). The coordinated water of Cr(II) is easily replaced by the potential bridging group of the oxidant, and after intramolecular electron transfer, the Cr(III) carries the bridging group away with it and as it is an inert product, it can be easily identified. There have been many studies of the interaction of Cr(II) with Co(III) complexes (Tables 2.6 and 5.7) and with Cr(III) complexes (Table 5.8). Only a few reductions by Cr(II) are outer-sphere (Table 5.7). By contrast, Cr(edta) Ref. 69 and Cr(bpy)3 are very effective outer-sphere reductants (Table 5.7). 

The kinetics of chromium(l 11 )-catalyscd oxidation of fonnic acid by Ce(TV) in aqueous H2SO4 can be rationalized in terms of initial formation of an outer-sphere complex involving oxidant, catalyst, and substrate (S), Ce(TV)(S)Cr(III), followed by an inner-sphere complex Ce(III)(S)Cr(IV). It is proposed that electron transfer occurs within this complex from substrate to Cr(TV) (with elimination of H+) followed by fast reaction to give CO2 (again with elimination of H+).54 In contrast, there was no kinetic evidence for the accumulation of a corresponding inner-sphere intermediate in the osmium(VIII)-catalysed Ce(TV) oxidation of DMSO to dimethyl sulfone here, the observed rate law was rationalized in terms of rate-determining bimolecular electron transfer from DMSO to Os(VHI) in an outer-sphere step.55 The kinetics of oxidation of 2-hydroxy-l-naphthalidene anil by cerium(IV) in aqueous sulfuric acid have been... 

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