Kinetic studies on chromium-glycinato complexes in acidic and alkaline media

Abstract

Two solid complexes, fac–[Cr(gly)3] and [Cr(gly)2(OH)]2, (where gly is glycinato ligand) were prepared and their acid-catalysed aquation products were identified. The structure of [Cr(gly)3] was solved by X-ray diffraction, revealing a cationic 3D sublattice with perchlorate anions inside its cavities. Acid-catalysed aquation of [Cr(gly)3] and [Cr(gly)2(OH)]2 leads to the same inert product, [Cr(gly)2(H2O)2]+, in a two-stages process. At the first stage, intermediate complexes, [Cr(gly)2(O–glyH)(H2O)]+ and [Cr(gly)2(H2O)–OH–Cr(gly)2(H2O)]+, are formed respectively. Kinetics of the first aquation stage of [Cr(gly)3] were studied in HClO4 solutions. The dependencies of the pseudo first-order rate constants on [H+] are as follows: k obs1H = k 0 + k 1 K p1[H+], where k 0 and k 1 are rate constants for the chelate-ring opening via spontaneous and acid-catalysed reaction paths, respectively, and K p1 is the protonation constant. The proposed mechanism assumes formation of the reactive intermediate as a result of proton addition to the coordinated carboxylate group of the didentate ligand. Some kinetic studies on the second reaction stage, the one-end bonded glycine liberation, were also done. The obtained results were analogous to those for stage I. In this case, the proposed reactive species are intermediates, protonated at the carboxylate group of the monodentate glycine. Base hydrolysis of two complexes, [Cr(gly)2(O–gly)(OH)]− and [Cr(gly)2(OH)2]−, was studied in 0.2–1.0 M NaOH. The pseudo first-order rate constants, k obsOH, were [OH−] independent in the case of [Cr(gly)2(O–gly)(OH)]−, whereas those for [Cr(gly)2(OH)2]− linearly depended on [OH−]. The reaction mechanisms were proposed, where the OH− -catalysed reaction path was rationalized in terms of formation of the reactive conjugate base, [Cr(gly)2(OH)(O)]2−, as a result of OH− ligand deprotonation. Activation parameters were determined and discussed.