Ligand-exchange reaction solvent effect

Quantum chemical methods are well established, accepted and of high potential for investigation of inorganic reaction mechanisms, especially if they can be applied as a fruitful interplay between theory and experiment. In the case of solvent exchange reactions their major deficiency is the limited possibility of including solvent effects. We demonstrated that with recent DFT-and ab initio methods, reaction mechanisms can be successfully explored. To obtain an idea about solvent effects, implicit solvent models can be used in the calculations, when their limitations are kept in mind. In future, more powerful computers will be available and will allow more sophisticated calculations to be performed. This will enable scientists to treat solvent molecules explicitly by ab initio molecular dynamics (e.g., Car-Parrinello simulations). The application of such methods will in turn complement the quantum chemical toolbox for the exploration of solvent and ligand exchange reactions. 

In a donor solvent the iodide ions is much more strongly solvated than the neutral donor and hence the donor properties of the iodide ion are lowered in solution. This event has been described as the thermodynamic solvatation effect. It becomes increasingly important with an increase of the ratio of the free enthalpy of solvation to the free enthalpy of the ligand exchange reaction. 

Catalysts and their effects on chemical reactions aid in efficiency, effectiveness and selectivity. A recent example of current research is redox and ligand exchange reactions of the oxygenation catalyst (N,N -bis(salicylidene)ethylenediaminato)co-balt(II), Co(SALEN)2 (below), and its one-electron oxidation product, Co(salen) 2-These were investigated in DMF, pyridine, and mixtures of these solvents. Solvent effects on the potentials, the thermodynamics of cross reactions, and the distribution of Co(II) and Co(III) species as a function of the solvent composition are important considerations (Eichhorn, 1997). The results in these solvents should be compared with other work with catalysts using more environmentally benign media (Collins et al., 1998). 

Wihlin P, Schimmelpfennig B, Wahlgren U, Grenthe I, VaUet V. On the combined use of discrete solvent models and continuum descriptions of solvent effects in ligand exchange reactions a case study of the uranyl(VI) aquo ion. Theor Chem Acc. 2009 124 377-384. 

Certain other metal ions also exhibit catalysis in aqueous solution. Two important criteria are rate of ligand exchange and the acidity of the metal hydrate. Metal hydrates that are too acidic lead to hydrolysis of the silyl enol ether, whereas slow exchange limits the ability of catalysis to compete with other processes. Indium(III) chloride is a borderline catalysts by these criteria, but nevertheless is effective. The optimum solvent is 95 5 isopropanol-water. Under these conditions, the reaction is syn selective, suggesting a cyclic TS.63... 

Labile species are usually main group metal ions with the exception of Cr2+ and Cu2+, whose lability can be ascribed to Jahn-Teller effects. Transition metals of classes II and III are species with small ligand field stabilization energies, whereas the inert species have high ligand field stabilization energies (LFSE). Examples include Cr3+ (3d3) and Co3+ (3d6). Jahn-Teller effects and LFSE are discussed in Section 1.6. Table 1.9 reports rate constant values for some aqueous solvent exchange reactions.8... 

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