Oxidation-reduction reactions Outer-sphere

Oxidation—Reduction. Redox or oxidation—reduction reactions are often governed by the hard—soft base rule. For example, a metal in a low oxidation state (relatively soft) can be oxidized more easily if surrounded by hard ligands or a hard solvent. Metals tend toward hard-acid behavior on oxidation. Redox rates are often limited by substitution rates of the reactant so that direct electron transfer can occur (16). If substitution is very slow, an outer sphere or tunneling reaction may occur. One-electron transfers are normally favored over multielectron processes, especially when three or more species must aggregate prior to reaction. However, oxidative addition... 

This chapter mainly focuses on the reactivity of 02 and its partially reduced forms. Over the past 5 years, oxygen isotope fractionation has been applied to a number of mechanistic problems. The experimental and computational methods developed to examine the relevant oxidation/reduction reactions are initially discussed. The use of oxygen equilibrium isotope effects as structural probes of transition metal 02 adducts will then be presented followed by a discussion of density function theory (DFT) calculations, which have been vital to their interpretation. Following this, studies of kinetic isotope effects upon defined outer-sphere and inner-sphere reactions will be described in the context of an electron transfer theory framework. The final sections will concentrate on implications for the reaction mechanisms of metalloenzymes that react with 02, 02 -, and H202 in order to illustrate the generality of the competitive isotope fractionation method. 

Inner sphere oxidation-reduction reactions, which cannot be faster than ligand substitution reactions, are also unlikely to occur within the excited state lifetime. On the contrary, outer-sphere electron-transfer reactions, which only involve the transfer of one electron without any bond making or bond breaking processes, can be very fast (even diffusion controlled) and can certainly occur within the excited state lifetime of many transition metal complexes. In agreement with these expectations, no example of inner-sphere excited state electron-transfer reaction has yet been reported, whereas a great number of outer-sphere excited-state electron-transfer reactions have been shown to occur, as we well see later. 

It has been shown that the oxidation-reduction reactions of transition metal complexes can occur through two different mechanisms (i) inner-sphere mechanism, when the two reactants share one or more ligands of their first coordination spheres in the activated complex and (ii) outer-sphere mechanism, when the first coordination spheres of the two reactants are left intact (as far as the number and kind of ligands present are concerned) in the activated complex. As mentioned before, the inner-sphere reactions cannot be faster than ligand substitution and... 

The most detailed theoretical treatment of outer-sphere electron-transfer reactions has been given by Marcus71-75, who has derived the following expression for the rate constant for an oxidation-reduction reaction ... 

In recent years, there has been a great deal of interest in the mechanisms of electron transfer processes.52-60 It is now recognized that oxidation-reduction reactions involving metal ions and their complexes are mainly of two types inner-sphere (ligand transfer) and outer-sphere (electron transfer) reactions. Prototypes of these two processes are represented by the following reactions. 

Cyano metal complexes undergo a variety of oxidation-reduction reactions. One of the most studied is the fast self-exchange reaction of the [Fe(CN)4] /" anions information from this research was instrumental in establishing the outer-sphere mechanism (see Outer-sphere Reaction) for transition metal oxidation-reduction reactions (see Electrochemistry Applications in Inorganic Chemistry). The nature... 

Oxidation-reduction reactions of transition metal complexes, like all redox reactions, involve the transfer of an electron from one species to another—in this case, from one complex to another. The two molecules may be connected by a common ligand through which the electron is transferred, in which case the reaction is called a bridging or inner-sphere reaction, or the exchange may occur between two separate coordination spheres in a nonbridging or outer-sphere reaction. 

On the other hand, when one thinks in terms of electrochemical reductions or oxidations, special attention is devoted to the coreactant, that is, to the electrode that provides or accepts electrons. Thus, in order to discuss or compare electrochemical reactions with their organic analogs, it is of the utmost importance to use more precise terms than the so inaccurate reduction of oxidation notions. A similar problem has been addressed in the inorganic and organometallic fields. Indeed, it was early recognized that oxidation-reduction reactions at metal centers must be classified according to two types outer sphere or inner sphere reactions. A typical example of this dichotomy is given in Eqs. (14) and (15), which relate to chromium (II) oxidations by cobalt (III) complexes. 

Marcus LFER. Oxidation-reduction reactions involving metal ions occur by (wo types of mechanisms inner- and outer-sphere electron transfer. In the former, the oxidant and reductant approach intimately and share a common primary hydration sphere so that the activated complex has a bridging ligand between the two metal ions (M—L—M ). Inner-sphere redox reactions thus involve bond forming and breaking processes like other group transfer and substitution rcaclions, and transition-state theory applies directly to them. In outer-sphere electron transfer, the primary hydration spheres remain intact. The... 

The nature and properties of metal complexes have been the subject of important research for many years and continue to intrigue some of the world s best chemists. One of the early Nobel prizes was awarded to Alfred Werner in 1913 for developing the basic concepts of coordination chemistry. The 1983 Nobel prize in chemistry was awarded to Henry Taube of Stanford University for his pioneering research on the mechanisms of inorganic oxidation-reduction reactions. He related rates of both substitution and redox reactions of metal complexes to the electronic structures of the metals, and made extensive experimental studies to test and support these relationships. His contributions are the basis for several sections in Chapter 6 and his concept of inner- and outer-sphere electron transfer is used by scientists worldwide. 

If the rate constant for the oxidation-reduction reaction is larger than the rate of ligand substitution on either metal, then an outer-sphere mechanism is required. For example, V(OH2)6 " has a water exchange rate of 90 s" and substitution is by an mechanism, so that the substitution rate constants should be <100 M" s". For the following reactions, the rate constant is much larger than this. 

In nature these complexes are connected with proteins and often they are situated inside membranes. By using the silver-porphyrin complexes as a simple model for the more complex systems occurring in nature we can compare their electron transfer rate constants in aqueous solutions with those in solutions containing micelles which incorporate our model complexes. In this way we are trying to get more information about the effect of hydrophobic barriers on electron transfer. Well understood oxidation reduction reactions of transition metal complexes which are reacting with an outer sphere mechanism are measured under equal conditions to separate pure electrostatic effects from other influences. 

The reduction ofsec-, and /-butyl bromide, of tnins-1,2-dibromocyclohexane and other vicinal dibromides by low oxidation state iron porphyrins has been used as a mechanistic probe for investigating specific details of electron transfer I .v. 5n2 mechanisms, redox catalysis v.v chemical catalysis and inner sphere v.v outer sphere electron transfer processes7 The reaction of reduced iron porphyrins with alkyl-containing supporting electrolytes used in electrochemistry has also been observed, in which the electrolyte (tetraalkyl ammonium ions) can act as the source of the R group in electrogenerated Fe(Por)R. ... 

Classification exclusively in terms of a few basic mechanisms is the ideal approach, but in a comprehensive review of this kind, one is presented with all reactions, and not merely the well-documented (and well-behaved) ones which are readily denoted as inner- or outer-sphere electron transfer, hydrogen atom transfer from coordinated solvent, ligand transfer, concerted electron transfer, etc. Such an approach has been made on a more limited scale. Turney has considered reactions in terms of the charges and complexing of oxidant and reductant but this approach leaves a large number to be coped with under further categories. 

Electrochemical reactions only involving a change of charge of simple or complex ions but not any change in inner geometry are commonly called outer-sphere electron transfer reactions. For some time, the reduction and oxidation of simple and... 

Anderson AB, Alhu TV. 1999. Ah initio determination of reversible potentials and activation energies for outer-sphere oxygen reduction to water and the reverse oxidation reaction. JAm Chem Soc 121 11855-11863. 

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