Cobalt complexes nucleophilic attack

The corresponding reactions of transient Co(OEP)H with alkyl halides and epoxides in DMF has been proposed to proceed by an ionic rather than a radical mechanism, with loss of from Co(OEP)H to give [Co(TAP), and products arising from nucleophilic attack on the substrates. " " Overall, a general kinetic model for the reaction of cobalt porphyrins with alkenes under free radical conditions has been developed." Cobalt porphyrin hydride complexes are also important as intermediates in the cobalt porphyrin-catalyzed chain transfer polymerization of alkenes (see below). 

Hydrolysis of coordinated ligands is a special case of nucleophilic attack. Two examples involving inorganic ligands have already been given in Section II. A on aquation of cobalt(III) complexes. Many further examples will be found in the following Section VII.B on catalysis of hydrolysis of organic substrates by metal ions and complexes. 

A series of diaquatetraaza cobalt(III) complexes accelerated the hydrolysis of adenylyl(3 -50adenosine (ApA) (304), an enhancement of 10 -fold being observed with the triethylenetetramine complex (303) at pH 7. The pentacoordinated intermediate (305), which is formed with the complex initially acting as an electrophilic catalyst, then suffers general acid catalysis by the coordination water on the Co(III) ion to yield the complexed 1,2-cyclic phosphate (306), the hydrolysis of which occurs via intracomplex nucleophilic attack by the metal-bound hydroxide ion on the phosphorus atom. Neomycin B (307) has also been shown to accelerate the phosphodiester hydrolysis of ApA (304) more effectively than a simple unstructured diamine. 

The nucleophilicity of coordinated sulfur in the complex [Cr(SCH2CH2NH2)(en)2]2+ towards Mel (equation 51) has been measured in DMF/H20 and compared with sulfur nucleophilicities in thiolatocobalt(III) systems.975 As in the case of the H202 oxidations, the nucleophilicity of thiolate coordinated to chromium(III) is only slightly less than when it is coordinated to cobalt(III), implying that nucleophilic attack by coordinated sulfur does not involve any appreciable distortion in the first coordination sphere of the metal. 

For the reaction of MOH(n 1)+ with propionic anhydride,200 the Bronsted plot of log kMOH versus the pKa of MOH2n+ follows a smooth curve if the values for HzO and OH- are included (Figure 4). However, if the line is drawn to exclude the fcHj0 value, a Bronsted /3 of ca, 0.25 is obtained. Although kMOH for [Co(NH3)5OH]2+ (3 M s 1) is some 103-fold less than k0H, this reaction will compete favourably at neutral pH with base hydrolysis. At pH 7 where the cobalt(III) complex exists almost completely as the MOH2+ species the observed first order rate constant for nucleophilic attack by OH would be ca. 10-4 s 1. AIM solution of [Co(NH3)5OH]2+ would give a value of kobs 2.5 s 1, a rate acceleration of > 104-fold. Since the effective concentration of a nucleophile in the intramolecular reaction could be ca. 102 M, rate accelerations of 10° are possible. The role of the metal ion in such reactions is to provide an effective concentration of an efficient nucleophile at low pH. 

Carbonic anhydrase is a zinc(II) metalloenzyme which catalyzes the hydration and dehydration of carbon dioxide, C02+H20 H+ + HC03. 25 As a result there has been considerable interest in the metal ion-promoted hydration of carbonyl substrates as potential model systems for the enzyme. For example, Pocker and Meany519 studied the reversible hydration of 2- and 4-pyridinecarbaldehyde by carbonic anhydrase, zinc(II), cobalt(II), H20 and OH. The catalytic efficiency of bovine carbonic anhydrase is ca. 108 times greater than that of water for hydration of both 2- and 4-pyridinecarbaldehydes. Zinc(II) and cobalt(II) are ca. 107 times more effective than water for the hydration of 2-pyridinecarbaldehyde, but are much less effective with 4-pyridinecarbaldehyde. Presumably in the case of 2-pyridinecarbaldehyde complexes of type (166) are formed in solution. Polarization of the carbonyl group by the metal ion assists nucleophilic attack by water or hydroxide ion. Further studies of this reaction have been made,520,521 but the mechanistic details of the catalysis are unclear. Metal-bound nucleophiles (M—OH or M—OH2) could, for example, be involved in the catalysis. 

In conclusion, the hydrolytic and other reactions of co-ordinated amino acid derivatives with nucleophiles may proceed by two major routes. The first involves a moderate acceleration by general acid catalysis of a monodentate TV-bonded ligand, whilst the second may involve very dramatic rate increases (by a factor of a million or so) associated with didentate chelating TV O-bonded ligands. There is little evidence for the widespread involvement of co-ordinated nucleophiles attacking the carbonyl in amino acid derivatives, although some special, and well characterised, examples with cobalt(m) complexes are considered in the next chapter. 

We saw in Chapter 3 that the hydrolysis of chelated amino acid esters and amides was dramatically accelerated by the nucleophilic attack of external hydroxide ion or water and that cobalt(m) complexes provided an ideal framework for the mechanistic study of these reactions. Some of the earlier studies were concerned with the reactions of the cations [Co(en)2Cl(H2NCH2C02R)]2+, which contained a monodentate amino acid ester. In many respects these proved to be an unfortunate choice in that a number of mechanisms for their hydrolysis may be envisaged. The first involved attack by external hydroxide upon the monodentate A-bonded ester (Fig. 5-62). This process is little accelerated by co-ordination in a monodentate manner. 

In earlier chapters we noted that metal ions could either activate or deactivate an imine with respect to addition of a nucleophile. We will now see an example of metal-ion activation in action. In fact, the complexes that are formed from 6.39 arise as a result of metal-initiated nucleophilic attack at the imine groups. The reaction of the free ligand 6.39 with methanolic cobalt(n) acetate results in the attack of methanol upon one of the imine bonds of the initially formed complex (Fig. 6-39). 

Figure 6-40. The complex 6.41 undergoes an intramolecular nucleophilic attack at a second imine to generate a new macrocycle with the correct cavity size for cobalt(n). The lower structure shows the complex cation as it is found in the solid state. The cobalt ion is actually seven-co-ordinate, with axial water and methanol ligands (omitted for clarity).

The oxidation of the metal complexes of l,10-phenanthroline-5,6-quinone is thought to proceed in a similar manner, with the first step being a benzilic acid rearrangement. Rearrangements of this type may also be followed directly in nickel(u) and cobalt(m) complexes of 2,2 -pyridil. The first step of the reaction involves nucleophilic attack on an O-bonded carbonyl group to form a hydrate, followed by a benzilic acid rearrangement. In this case, the benzilic acid rearrangement products may be isolated as metal complexes (Fig. 8-43). 

Completely different behavior toward liquid NH3 is shown by the three iron carbonyls Fe(CO)s, Fe3(CO)9, and Fes(CO),2 (98, 99) and the two cobalt carbonyls Co2(CO)8 and Co4(CO)i3 (100). Between -21 and 0°C, Fe(CO)5 and liquid NH3 give a homogeneous, pale-yellow solution from which Fe(CO)5 may be recovered on evaporating off the NH3. The solution contains the carbamoyl complex NHJfOC Fe—CONHJ which cannot be isolated and which is formed by nucleophilic attack of an NH3 molecule on a CO ligand, followed by proton release (101). At 20°C after 14 days of reaction, (NHJ FefCOlJ and CO(NH2)2 are obtained (99) ... 

General accounts of the reactivity of coordinated nitrosyls are available.106 121 124 A metal ion or metal complex is unable to generate the reactivity of ionic NO+ towards nucleophiles (i.e. OH-, RS-, RHN-) or of NO- towards electrophiles (i.e. H+, PhCH2X), but it can present NO in a less reactive form under conditions inappropriate to the free ion. Thus linear coordination with vNO > 1886 cm 1 may promote nucleophilic reactions at N, and bent coordination with the higher electron density on N (vNO < 1700cm-1) may promote electrophilic attack by H+, 02, NO and PhCHjBr.125 No cobalt nitrosyl is known to undergo nucleophilic attack on the nitrosyl group. Normally linear coordination is associated with four or five coordination and the nucleophile adds to the unsaturated metal instead. However a number of electrophilic reactions are known (Table 13). A recent discussion of these is recommended.124... 

Fig. 8 Template synthesis of the cobalt(III) sepulchrate complex, [Coffl(sep)]3+. Step i complex formation and oxidation by air step ii Schiff base condensation step iii nucleophilic attack to the C=N double bond by the deprotonated forms of ammonia...

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