Inner sphere bridging mechanisms

Confining ourselves for the moment to reactions knowrn to go via inner sphere bridging mechanisms, namely those involving Cr+2 and Co(CN)6 3 as reductants, the trend in each case is for the rate to increase along the series F < Cl < Br < I, the largest increase occurring in each case in going from F to Cl. 

Bridge mediation mechanisms in heterogeneous outer sphere electrochemical reactions has also been theoretically treated using the pull—push and push-pull mechanistic concepts [84]. Schmidt [85] has considered theoretically homogeneous inner sphere bridge electron transfer reactions without atom or ion transfer. Bridge mediation in electron transfer reactions may also involve simultaneous atom or ion transfer. Heyrovsky [86] invoked mediation of electron transfer by formation of bridges to explain the enhancement of the rate of electroreduction of indium (III) ions in the presence of specifically adsorbed halide ions on mercury. 

The second mechanism involves the formation of a covalent bridge through which the electron is passed in the electron transfer process. This is known as the inner-sphere mechanism (Fig. 9-5). 

The inner-sphere mechanism is restricted to those complexes containing at least one ligand which can bridge between two metal centers. The commonest examples of such ligands are the halides, hydroxy or oxo groups, amido groups, thiocyanate... 

The scheme in Fig. 9-5 above illustrates the case in which the bridging ligand, X, is transferred from metal center Mi to M2 in the course of the reaction. Although this is not a necessary consequence of an inner-sphere pathway, it is often observed, and provides one method for establishing the mechanism. 

Finally, we consider the alternative mechanism for electron transfer reactions -the inner-sphere process in which a bridge is formed between the two metal centers. The J-electron configurations of the metal ions involved have a number of profound consequences for this reaction, both for the mechanism itself and for our investigation of the reaction. The key step involves the formation of a complex in which a ligand bridges the two metal centers involved in the redox process. For this to be a low energy process, at least one of the metal centers must be labile. 

Traditionally, electron transfer processes in solution and at surfaces have been classified into outer-sphere and inner-sphere mechanisms (1). However, the experimental basis for the quantitative distinction between these mechanisms is not completely clear, especially when electron transfer is not accompanied by either atom or ligand transfer (i.e., the bridged activated complex). We wish to describe how the advantage of using organometals and alkyl radicals as electron donors accrues from the wide structural variations in their donor abilities and steric properties which can be achieved as a result of branching the alkyl moiety at either the a- or g-carbon centers. 

The electronic structure of oxidant and reductant, nature of bridging ligand, formation as well as fission of complex are the factors which can effect the rate of the inner sphere electron transfer mechanism. 

Examination of the data for (5.49) and (5.50) in Tables 5.7 and 5.8 shows that there is some general order of reactivity for the various ligands L. Containing an unshared electron pair after coordination appears a minimum requirement for a ligand to be potential bridging group, for it has to function as a Lewis base towards two metal cations. Thus CofNHj) and Co(NH3)jpy + oxidize Cr by an outer-sphere mechanism, giving Cr " as the product, at a much slower rate than for the inner-sphere reactions. 

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). 

Like all redox reactions26,28,967,968 those of copper(II) may be divided into two types (a) outer sphere mechanisms involving electron (or proton) transfer between coordination shells that remain essentially intact and (b) inner sphere mechanisms in which the oxidizing and reducing species are connected by a bridging ligand, which is common to both metal ion coordination spheres."9... 

In contrast to outer-sphere reactions, the simple observation that a reaction occurs by an inner-sphere mechanism necessarily introduces an element of structural definition. The relative dispositions of the oxidizing and reducing agents are immediately established and, except for structurally flexible bridging ligands such as NC5H4(CH2) C5H4N, the internuclear separation between redox sites can be inferred from known bond distances. Even so, bimolecular inner-sphere reactions necessarily occur by a sequence of elementary steps (Scheme 2) and the observed rate constant may include contributions from any of the series of steps. 

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