Kinetics of the single-electron chemical oxidation of rhenium(V) meso-phenyl-β-octaethylporphyrinate

Abstract

The states and reactions of rhenium(V) complexes with meso-monophenyl-β-octaethylporphines containing Cl− and OPh− as axial ligands O=Re(Cl)MPOEP and O=Re(OPh)MPOEP in concentrated sulfuric acid at 298–348 K are studied via spectral and kinetic methods. While stable along M-N bonds, O=Re(Cl)MPOEP is found to undergo slow oxidation after transforming into axial hydrosulfate complex O=Re(HSO4)MPOEP. It is shown that the sole electron oxidizing agent is atmospheric oxygen (with the assistance of highly concentrated protons) and the sites of reduction are aromatic ligands. The reaction product was identified as π-radical cation O=Re(HSO4)MPOEP·+. Forward and inverse chemical kinetics solutions are used to obtain a full kinetic equation and the reaction rate parameters of elementary steps, and to establish the stoichiometric mechanism of the composite oxidation of the complex. Complex O=Re(OPh)MPOEP in the form O=Re(OPh)(O2)MPOEP with coordinated oxygen is shown experimentally to be stable with respect to oxidation. The obtained results are important for identifying intermediates in processes catalyzed by stable metal porphyrins.