Mechanism of the reaction of the [W3S4H3(dmpe)3]+ cluster with acids: evidence for the acid-promoted substitution of coordinated hydrides and the effect of the attacking species on the kinetics of protonation of the metal-hydride bonds.
The cluster [W(3)S(4)H(3)(dmpe)(3)](+) (1) (dmpe=1,2-bis(dimethylphosphino)ethane) reacts with HX (X=Cl, Br) to form the corresponding [W(3)S(4)X(3)(dmpe)(3)](+) (2) complexes, but no reaction is observed when 1 is treated with an excess of halide salts. Kinetic studies indicate that the hydride 1 reacts with HX in MeCN and MeCN-H(2)O mixtures to form 2 in three kinetically distinguishable steps. In the initial step, the W-H bonds are attacked by the acid to form an unstable dihydrogen species that releases H(2) and yields a coordinatively unsaturated intermediate. This intermediate adds a solvent molecule (second step) and then replaces the coordinated solvent with X(-) (third step). The kinetic results show that the first step is faster with HCl than with solvated H(+). This indicates that the rate of protonation of this metal hydride is determined not only by reorganization of the electron density at the M-H bonds but also by breakage of the H-X or H(+)-solvent bonds. It also indicates that the latter process can be more important in determining the rate of protonation.
Basallote
Manuel G
MG
Departamento de Ciencia de los Materiales e Ingeniería Metalúrgica y Química Inorgánica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Cádiz, Apartado 40, Puerto Real, 11510 Cádiz, Spain. manuel.basallote@uca.es
Feliz
Marta
M
Fernández-Trujillo
M Jesús
MJ
Llusar
Rosa
R
Safont
Vicent S
VS
Uriel
Santiago
S