Kinetic Studies of the Catalytic Effect of Cobalt(II) Ions on the Substitution Reactions of the Ethylenediaminetetraacetatocobalt(III) Complex

The rate for the substitution reaction of Co(edta)^? with ethylenediamine was greatly enhanced by the presence of an excess of Co(II) ion in solution. The rate constant is (13±2) M^?-sec^?1 at μi=0.10M LiClO₄, pH=11.1, en]=0.10M and T=25°C. The mechanism for the reaction is discussed on the basis of the Marcus theory for outer-sphere processes corrected for electrostatic effects. This catalytic effect was not observed when the Co(II) was present in small amount due to the stability of the Co(edta)^?2 complex toward substitution. The rate constant for direct substitution of Co(edta)^? under the same conditions has also been measured and the value is (3.66±0.40)×10^?4sec^?.