A spectrophotometric and thermodynamic study of the charge-transfer complexes of iodine with nortriptyline and imipramine drugs in chloroform and dichloromethane solutions

The interaction of iodine as electron acceptor with nortriptyline and imipramine drugs as electron donors has been investigated spectrophotometrically at various temperatures in chloroform and dichloromethane solutions. The observed time dependence of the charge–transfer band and subsequent formation of in solution were related to the slow transformation of the initially formed iodine: drug outer complex to an inner electron donor–acceptor (EDA) complex, followed by fast reaction of the inner complex with iodine to form a triiodide ion. The pseudo-first-order rate constants and activation parameters for the transformation process were evaluated from the absorbance-time data. Stoichiometrices of the complexes were defined by the Job’s method of the continuos variation and obtaind 2: 1 for iodine: drug complexes. The formation constants and molar absorptivities were evaluated from the absorbance-mole ratio data. Thermodynamic parameters of the complexes have been determined from the temperature dependence of the stability constant by Van’t Hoff equation.