Bromine oxidation of a nickel(II) bis(oxime-imine) complex. Evidence for a single-step outer-sphere two-electron transfer?

Abstract

The kinetics and mechanism of the two-electron oxidation of the sexidentate bis(oxime-imine) complex of nickel(II), (Ni/sup II/L) (I), by bromine have been investigated in bromide ion media over the pH range 3.1-7.6 at 25/sup 0/C and 1.0 M ionic strength. In the presence of an excess of bromine or nickel(II), oxidation is monophasic, and the initial product is (Ni/sup IV/L)/sup 2 +/, a formal nickel(IV) species that undergoes subsequent reactions to give an unknown oxidation product with excess bromine at pH > 6 or to give (Ni/sup III/L)/sup +/ by comproportionation with excess nickel(II) at pH > 5. The sole kinetically important oxidant is Br/sub 2/, and second-order rate constants for reaction of (Ni/sup II/L) and its protonated form (Ni/sup II/LH)/sup +/ are 2.1 x 10/sup 7/ and 7.1 x 10/sup 5/ M/sup -1/ s/sup -1/, respectively. These rate constants are in line with a rate-determining single-electron-transfer reaction, and the proposed mechanism involves formation of a transient ion pair (Ni/sup III/L/sup +/,Br/sub 2//sup -/ in which the rate of subsequent electron transfer is comparable with the rate of ion-pair dissociation. In addition, the pulse-radiolysis technique has been used to investigate the reactions of nickel(II) with Br/sub 2//sup -/ to givemore » (Ni/sup III/L)/sup +/, and rate constants for (Ni/sup II/L) and (Ni/sup II/LH)/sup +/ are 8.5 x 10/sup 8/ and 2.7 x 10/sup 8/ M/sup -1/ S/sup -1/, respectively, at 21/sup 0/C. 34 references, 3 figures, 3 tables.« less