Equilibrium study of the systems of aluminium(III), gallium(III) and indium(III) with mercaptoacetate, 3-mercaptopropionate and 2-mercaptobenzoate

Equilibrium studies were carried out by pH-potentiometry on the systems of aluminium(III), gallium(III) and indium(III) with mercaptoacetate (MerAc^2?), 3-mercaptopropionate (MerPr^2?) and 2-mercaptobenzoate (MerBe^2?). It was found that the complex-forming properties of the Al³⁺ ion towards these mercaptocarboxylic acid ligands differ from those of Ga³⁺ and Al³⁺. Under the conditions of the study, Al³⁺ forms only hydroxo complexes, while Ga³⁺ and In³⁺ form relatively stable complexes involving the simultaneous coordination of the carboxylate and the deprotonated mercapto group. In all cases the equilibrium systems can be described without the assumption of polynuclear complexes. The complexes Ga(MerAc)₂ and Ga(MerBe)₂ show marked stability; this was interpreted in terms of back-coordination and of interaction between the d¹⁰ electrons of the Ga³⁺ ion and the empty d orbitals of the S donor atom. Complexes of composition ML_i are not formed in the Ga³⁺-MerPr^2? system; this points to the importan roles of the number of atoms in the chelate ring and the higher stability of the Ga(III)-hydroxo complexes.