Abstract: | Rates of solvolysis of ions [Co(3Rpy)4Cl2]+ with R = Me and Et have been measured over a range of temperatures for a series of water-rich water + methanol mixtures to investigate the effect of changes in solvent structure on the solvolysis of complexes presenting a largely hydrophobic surface to the solvent. The variation of the enthalpies and entropies of activation with solvent composition has been determined. A free energy cycle relating the free energy of activation in water to that in water + methanol is applied using free energies of transfer of individual ionic species from water into water + methanol. Data for the free energy of transfer of chloride ions ΔG(Cl?) from both the spectrophotometric solvent sorting method and the TATB method for separating ΔG(salt) into ΔG(i) for individual ions are used: irrespective of the source of ΔG(Cl?), in general, ?ΔG(Co(Rpy)4Cl2+) > ?ΔG(Co(Rpy)4Cl2+), where Rpy = py, 4Mepy, 4Etpy, 3Etpy, and 3Mepy, showing that changes in solvent structure in water-rich water + methanol mixtures generally stabilize the cation in the transition state more than the cation in the initial state for this type of complex ion. A similar result is found when the free energy cycle is applied to the solvolysis of the dichloro (2,2′,2″-triaminotriethylamine)cobalt(III) ion. The introduction of a Me or Et group on the pyridine ring in [Co(Rpy)4Cl2]+ has little influence on the difference {ΔG(Co(Rpy)4Cl2+)?ΔG(Co(Rpy)4Cl2+)} in water + methanol with the mol fraction of methanol < 0.20. |