Labile complex formation

A large number of Brpnsted and Lewis acid catalysts have been employed in the Fischer indole synthesis. Only a few have been found to be sufficiently useful for general use. It is worth noting that some Fischer indolizations are unsuccessful simply due to the sensitivity of the reaction intermediates or products under acidic conditions. In many such cases the thermal indolization process may be of use if the reaction intermediates or products are thermally stable (vide infra). If the products (intermediates) are labile to either thermal or acidic conditions, the use of pyridine chloride in pyridine or biphasic conditions are employed. The general mechanism for the acid catalyzed reaction is believed to be facilitated by the equilibrium between the aryl-hydrazone 13 (R = FF or Lewis acid) and the ene-hydrazine tautomer 14, presumably stabilizing the latter intermediate 14 by either protonation or complex formation (i.e. Lewis acid) at the more basic nitrogen atom (i.e. the 2-nitrogen atom in the arylhydrazone) is important. 

In the stabilization of PVC, the principal mode of action of the various stabilizer systems has been explained in terms of the Frye and Horst mechanism, i.e., substitution of labile chlorines by more stable groups. Evidence for other actions, such as HCl neutralization, addition to polyene sequences, and bimetallic complex formation have also been given. Despite the wide acceptance of the Frye and Horst mechanism, researchers have frequently contended that this could not be the dominant mechanism in the stabilization of PVC. 

A further factor which must also be taken into consideration from the point of view of the analytical applications of complexes and of complex-formation reactions is the rate of reaction to be analytically useful it is usually required that the reaction be rapid. An important classification of complexes is based upon the rate at which they undergo substitution reactions, and leads to the two groups of labile and inert complexes. The term labile complex is applied to those cases where nucleophilic substitution is complete within the time required for mixing the reagents. Thus, for example, when excess of aqueous ammonia is added to an aqueous solution of copper(II) sulphate, the change in colour from pale to deep blue is instantaneous the rapid replacement of water molecules by ammonia indicates that the Cu(II) ion forms kinetically labile complexes. The term inert is applied to those complexes which undergo slow substitution reactions, i.e. reactions with half-times of the order of hours or even days at room temperature. Thus the Cr(III) ion forms kinetically inert complexes, so that the replacement of water molecules coordinated to Cr(III) by other ligands is a very slow process at room temperature. 

The mechanism of octahedral complex formation by labile metal ions. D. J. Hewkin and R. H. Price, Coord. Chem. Rev., 1970, 5, 45-73 (177). 

There are also examples of induced complex formation, an essential step of which is always an oxidation-reduction reaction. Rich and Taube found that the rate of exchange between PtCl and Cl was considerably increased by addition of cerium(rV). In the presence of this oxidizing agent a labile complex of Pt(III) is formed, the chloride of which is easily exchangeable. Exchange of platinum between PtCl and PtClg is similarly rapid via the intermediate labile PtCIs complex formed by cerium(IV). 

A combination first coordination shell-second coordination shell based recognition BLM transport system was devised, including active transport (200). This is based on a labile dihydroxamic acid system, including alcaligin, and a free lysine hydroxamic acid ligand capable of ternary complex formation to... 

For the biological limitation of trace metal internalisation, complex formation will invariably decrease the concentration of free metal ion and thus decrease the biouptake fluxes and carrier-bound metal (FIAM, BLM). In the case of a diffusion-limited internalisation, complex labilities and mobilities become much more pertinent when determining uptake fluxes. As shown earlier, few experiments have been designed to identify diffusion limitation of metal uptake fluxes, despite the fact that such a limitation is possible (Figure 10). Competition experiments that can distinguish a kinetic from a thermodynamic control are rare. In these areas, an important research focus is... 

In this case, precursor complex formation depends upon the lability of the incoming metal ion, rather than that of the oxide surface site, since the inner coordination ligands of the surface site are not exchanged (26). 

In recent years, for analytical purposes the direct approach has become the most popular. Therefore, only this approach will be discussed in the next sections. With the direct approach, the enantiomers are placed in a chiral environment, since only chiral molecules can distinguish between enantiomers. The separation of the enantiomers is based on the complex formation of labile diastereoisomers between the enantiomers and a chiral auxiliary, the so-called chiral selector. The separation can only be accomplished if the complexes possess different stability constants. The chiral selectors can be either chiral molecules that are bound to the chromatographic sorbent and thus form a CSP, or chiral molecules that are added to the mobile phase, called chiral mobile phase additives (CMPA). The combination of several chiral selectors in the mobile phase, and of chiral mobile and stationary phases is also feasible. 

The ability of metal ions to accelerate the hydrolysis of a variety of linkages has been a subject of sustained interest. If the hydrolyzed substrate remains attached to the metal, the reaction becomes stoichiometric and is termed metal-ion promoted. If the hydrolyzed product does not bind to the metal ion, the latter is free to continue its action and play a catalytic role. The modus operandi of these effects is undoubtedly as a result of metal-complex formation, and this has been demonstrated for both labile and inert metal systems. Reactions of nucleophiles other than HjO and OH will also be considered. 

In Eq. (5.25) H2O represents a water molecule initially present outside the coordination sphere of the metal ion, which, as a result of the exchange, has entered the first coordination sphere. It follows that the degree of kinetic reactivity of aquometal ions with complexing agents parallels their kinetic lability toward water exchange. Moreover, since the water exchange rate constants of most metal ions are known, predictions on the rate of complex formation of aquometal ions can be made. 

This account is concerned with the rate and mechanism of the important group of reactions involving metal complex formation. Since the bulk of the studies have been performed in aqueous solution, the reaction will generally refer, specifically, to the replacement of water in the coordination sphere of the metal ion, usually octahedral, by another ligand. The participation of outer sphere complexes (ion pair formation) as intermediates in the formation of inner sphere complexes has been considered for some time (122). Thermodynamic, and kinetic studies of the slowly reacting cobalt(III) and chromium(III) complexes (45, 122) indicate active participation of outer sphere complexes. However, the role of outer sphere complexes in the reactions of labile metal complexes and their general importance in complex formation (33, 34, 41, 111) had to await modern techniques for the study of very rapid reactions. Little evidence has appeared so far for direct participation of the... 

Stereoselective complex formation of a labile metal ion with o-amino acids is well known73 Since the equilibrium of a labile metal complex is established very rapidly, it seems possible that the stereoselectivity of the metal complex formation could be used to resolve optically active amino acids. 

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