Soft acid

The Hard-Soft-Add-Base (HSAB) theory was developed by Pearson in 1963. According to this theory, Lewis acids and Lewis bases are divided into two groups on one hand hard acids and bases, which are usually small, weakly polarizable species with highly localised charges, and on the other hand soft acids and bases which are large, polarizable species with delocalised charges. A selection of Lewis acids, ordered according to their hardness in aqueous solution is presented in Table 1.3. 

The theory predicts high stabilities for hard acid - hard base complexes, mainly resulting from electrostatic interactions and for soft acid - soft base complexes, where covalent bonding is also important Hard acid - soft base and hard base - soft acid complexes usually have low stability. Unfortunately, in a quantitative sense, the predictive value of the HSAB theory is limited. Thermodynamic analysis clearly shows a difference between hard-hard interactions and soft-soft interactions. In water hard-hard interactions are usually endothermic and occur only as a result of a gain in entropy, originating from a liberation of water molecules from the hydration shells of the... 

Ambident reactivity of A-4-thiazoline-2-thione has been discussed (101) in terms of the Hard and Soft Acids and Bases classification (199) and the Klopman-Hudson approach (200). 

T. L. Ho, Hard and Soft Acids and Bases Principle in Organic Chemisty, Academic Press, New York, 1977. 

Gold Compounds. The chemistry of nonmetallic gold is predominandy that of Au(I) and Au(III) compounds and complexes. In the former, coordination number two and linear stereochemistry are most common. The majority of known Au(III) compounds are four coordinate and have square planar configurations. In both of these common oxidation states, gold preferably bonds to large polarizable ligands and, therefore, is termed a class b metal or soft acid. 

Bases of low polarizabiUty such as fluoride and the oxygen donors are termed hard bases. The corresponding class a cations are called hard acids the class b acids and the polarizable bases are termed soft acids and soft bases, respectively. The general rule that hard prefers hard and soft prefers soft prevails. A classification is given in Table 3. Whereas the divisions are arbitrary, the trends are important. Attempts to provide quantitative gradations of "hardness and softness" have appeared (14). Another generaUty is the usual increase in stabiUty constants for divalent 3t5 ions that occurs across the row of the Periodic Table through copper and then decreases for zinc (15). 

Nonaqueous Bases Nonaqueous Nucleophiles Organometallic Catalytic Reduction Acidic Reduction Basic or Neutral Reduction Hydride Reduction Lewis Acids Soft Acids Radical Addition Oxidizing Agents... 

R. G. Pearson, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 85 3533 (1963) T. L. Ho, Hard and Soft Acids and Bases in Organic Chemistry, Academic Press, New York, 1977 W. B. Jensen, The Lewis Acid-Base Concept, Wiley-Interscience, New York, 1980, Chapter 8. 

The strength of the complexation is a function of both the donor atom and the metal ion. The solvent medium is also an important factor because solvent molecules that are potential electron donors can compete for the Lewis acid. Qualitative predictions about the strength of donor-acceptor complexation can be made on the basis of the hard-soft-acid-base concept (see Section 1.2.3). The better matched the donor and acceptor, the stronger is the complexation. Scheme 4.3 gives an ordering of hardness and softness for some neutral and ionic Lewis acids and bases. 

The electrophile in oxymercuration reactions, HgX or Hg " , is a soft acid and strongly polarizing. It polarizes the n electrons of an alkene to the extent that a three-center, two-... 

STRUCTURE-REACTIVITY RELATIONSHIPS Table 7-15. Examples of Hard-Soft Acid-Bases... 

Sometimes discussed in terms of hard and soft acids and bases. 

These concepts play an important role in the Hard and Soft Acid and Base (HSAB) principle, which states that hard acids prefer to react with hard bases, and vice versa. By means of Koopmann s theorem (Section 3.4) the hardness is related to the HOMO-LUMO energy difference, i.e. a small gap indicates a soft molecule. From second-order perturbation theory it also follows that a small gap between occupied and unoccupied orbitals will give a large contribution to the polarizability (Section 10.6), i.e. softness is a measure of how easily the electron density can be distorted by external fields, for example those generated by another molecule. In terms of the perturbation equation (15.1), a hard-hard interaction is primarily charge controlled, while a soft-soft interaction is orbital controlled. Both FMO and HSAB theories may be considered as being limiting cases of chemical reactivity described by the Fukui ftinction. 

These phenomena can be explained by the (hard-soft) acid-base principal as follows C=N-OH is a soft base, hence has stronger affinity towards soft basic metal cations than hard metal cations. The strong participation of the N-OH group in complex formation was further confirmed by the results shown for extraction experiments with 5 and 6. 

Dissolution Some waters continuously dissolve appreciable amounts of copper . Factors that favour this action are high free carbon dioxide, chloride and sulphate contents, low hardness, and increase of temperature. The trouble is therefore most prevalent in hot, soft, acid waters. The corrosion is general and the resulting thinning is so slight that the useful life of the pipe or component is virtually unaffected (unless impingement attack... 

A general principle may now be stated which permits correlation of the complexing ability of metals Hard acids tend to associate with hard bases and soft acids with soft bases . This statement must not, however, be regarded as exclusive, i.e. under appropriate conditions soft acids may complex with hard bases or hard acids with soft bases. 

The nature of the donor atoms in the chelating agent. Ligands which contain donor atoms of the soft-base type form their most stable complexes with the relatively small group of Class B metal ions (i.e. soft acids) and are thus more selective reagents. This is illustrated by the reagent diphenylthiocarbazone (dithizone) used for the solvent extraction of metal ions such as Pd2+, Ag+, Hg2+, Cu2+, Bi3+, Pb2+, and Zn2 +. ... 

A wide variety of complexes are formed by both metals in the +2 oxidation state indeed, it is the most important one for palladium. The complexes can be cationic, neutral or anionic. Both Pd2+ and Pt2+ are soft acids so that many stable complexes are formed with S or P as donor atoms but few with O-donors, though there are important ammines. There are pronounced similarities between corresponding palladium and platinum complexes the latter are more studied (and less labile). 

Since the Pd2+ and Pt2+ ions are soft acids, coordination by sulphur would be predicted. However, steric effects sometimes dictate bonding via oxygen. Some syntheses are shown in Figure 3.70. 

Subsequently it was shown that the P-Pd-P angles were essentially the same as in the corresponding chloride complexes (section 3.8.3) as a result, as the P—Pd—P angle increases, concomitant upon the increase in the length of the methylene chain, steric effects enforce N-bonded thiocyanate, which is less sterically demanding that the non-linear Pd-SCN linkage (favoured on HSAB considerations since Pd2+ is a soft acid and sulphur is a soft base). 

The low stability of the complex 3.6 is consistent with the hard and soft acids and bases principle of Pearson (1963, 1968 Parr and Pearson, 1983 theoretical aspects Pearson, 1989 Chatteraj et al., 1991 monograph Ho, 1977). According to that principle hard acids will tend to complex with hard bases and soft acids with soft bases. Water is a hard base, whereas the nitrosyl ion is classified by Pearson as a borderline acid with a tendency to be soft. 

Nucleophilic catalysis is also observed with iodide ions. Fluoride ion does not form nitrosyl fluoride under diazotization conditions, as is to be expected from Pearson s hard and soft acids and bases principle which was discussed briefly in Section 3.2. More recently, nucleophilic catalysis has also been shown to occur with thiocyanate ion (SCN ), thiosulfate ion (HS2Of), dimethyl sulfide, and thiourea (H2NCSNH2) or its alkyl derivatives (see below). 

Hammett equation(s) 78, 93, 148ff., 151 f., 153ff., 167f., 190, 193, 196, 297, 299, 308, 312, 375, 381, 392, see also Dual substituent parameter, and Quantitative structure-reactivity relationships Hammond postulate, in additions of nucleophiles to diazonium ions 157 Hard and soft acids/bases principle (Pearson) 49, 54, 109... 

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