2,2-Dipyridyl, formation constants with

It has been tacitally assumed in this discussion that the second-order formation rate constants measure the simple water substitution process. Although this must apply when unidentate ligands replace coordinated water, a composite process could describe the replacement by multidentate ligands. However, consideration of rate constants for successive formation and dissociation processes suggests that the overall rate of complex formation with flexible bidentate (and probably multidentate) ligands such as diamines, dipyridyl, glycine is probably determined by the rate of expulsion of the first water molecule from the metal aqua ion (56, 80, cf. 3 and 84). 

---