Reduction reactions of Cu(dmp)
22+ (dmp = 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline) by ferrocene (Fe(Cp)
2 = bis(cyclopentadienyl)iron(II)), decamethylferrocene (Fe(PMCp)
2 = bis(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)iron(II)),
andCo(bpy)
32+ (bpy = 2,2
'-bipyridine)
and oxidation reactions of Cu(dmp)
2+ by Ni(tacn)
23+ (tacn = 1,4,7-triazacyclononane)
and Mn(bpyO
2)
33+ (bpyO
2 =
N,N'-dioxo-2,2
'-bipyridine) were studied in acetonitrile for thepurpose of interpreting the gated behavior involving copper(II)
and -(I) species. It was shown that the electronself-exchange rate constants estimated for the Cu(dmp)
22+/+ couple from the oxidation reaction of Cu(dmp)
2+ byNi(tacn)
23+ (5.9 × 10
2 kg mol
-1 s
-1)
and Mn(bpyO
2)
33+ (2.9 × 10
4 kg mol
-1 s
-1) were consistent with thedirectly measured value by NMR (5 × 10
3 kg mol
-1 s
-1). In contrast, we obtained the electron self-exchange rateconstant of Cu(dmp)
22+/+ as 1.6 kg mol
-1 s
-1 from the reduction of Cu(dmp)
22+ by Co(bpy)
32+. The pseudo-first-order rate constant for the reduction reaction of Cu(dmp)
22+ by Fe(Cp)
2 was not linear against the concentrationof excess amounts of Fe(Cp)
2. A detailed analysis of the reaction revealed that the reduction of Cu(dmp)
22+involved the slow path related to the deformation of Cu(dmp)
22+ (path B in Scheme 1). By using Fe(PMCp)
2 (the
E![](/images/entities/deg.gif)
value is 500 mV more negative than that of Fe(Cp)
2+/0) as the reductant, the mixing with another pathwayinvolving deformation of Cu(dmp)
2+ (path A in Scheme 1) became more evident. The origin of the "GatedBehavior" is discussed by means of the energy differences between the "normal"
and deformed Cu(II)
and Cu(I)species: the difference in the crystal field activation energies corresponding to the formation of pseudo-tetrahedralCu(II) from tetragonally distorted Cu(II)
and the difference in the stabilization energies of the tetrahedral
andtetragonal Cu(I) for the activation of Cu(I) species. The reduction reaction of Cu(dmp)
22+ by Fe(PMCp)
2 confirmedthat the mixing of the two pathways takes place by lowering the energy level corresponding to the less favorableconformational change of Cu(I) species.