Abstract
UNEQUIVOCAL evidence in support of a particular mechanism for the acid hydrolysis reaction (1) has not, as yet, been obtained. Several recent communications1–4 serve to emphasize that the problem is still an open issue. In any kinetic investigation a knowledge of the species present is of prime importance, particularly, in a reaction of type (1), where ion-pairs are likely to occur; the acceleration of reaction (1) by added anions has been observed5,6. In a recent detailed investigation for (X = Cl−), Laurie and Monk7 attributed these accelerations to ion-pairs being more reactive than the free complex ion; the thermodynamic dissociation constants derived from the rate data for the proposed ion-pairs were in good agreement with values from investigations of the electromotive force8. The results are collected in Table 1. It is the purpose of this communication to show the importance of these results with regard to two misconceptions and to the mechanism of reaction (1).
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LAURIE, S. Mechanism of the Acid Hydrolysis of Pentammine Cobalt Complex Ions. Nature 211, 181 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1038/211181a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/211181a0
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