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Chemical and electrochemical oxidation of [Rh(β-diketonato)(CO)(P(OCH2)3CCH3)]: an experimental and DFT study
Johannes J C Erasmus1, Jeanet Conradie
1Department of Chemistry, PO Box 339 and University of the Free State, 9300 Bloemfontein, Republic of South Africa.
Abstract:
An experimental and computational chemistry study of the reactivity of [Rh(β-diketonato)(CO)(P(OCH2)3CCH3)] complexes towards chemical and electrochemical oxidation shows that more electron withdrawing groups on the β-diketonato ligand reduce electron density on the rhodium atom to a larger extent than electron donating groups. This leads to a slower second-order oxidative addition rate, k1, and a higher electrochemical oxidation potential, E(pa)(Rh), linearly related by ln k1 = -11(1) E(pa)(Rh) - 2.3(5). The reactivity of these complexes can be predicted by their DFT calculated HOMO energies: E(HOMO) = -0.34(8)E(pa)(Rh) - 5.04(4) = 0.032(5) ln k1- 4.96(4). k1 of [Rh(β-diketonato)(CO)(P(OCH2)3CCH3)] complexes is slower than that of related [Rh(β-diketonato)(CO)(PPh3)] and [Rh(β-diketonato)(P(OPh)3)2] complexes due to the better π-acceptor ability of the CO-phosphite-rhodium combination than that of CO-PPh3-rhodium or di-phosphite-rhodium.
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