The Hydrolysis of Hydroxamic Acid Complexants in the Presence of Non-oxidizing Metal Ions 1: Ferric Ions

Hydroxamic acids (XHAs) are organic compounds with affinities for cations such as Fe³⁺, Np⁴⁺ and Pu⁴⁺ and have been identified as useful reagents in nuclear fuel reprocessing. Acid catalyzed hydrolysis of free XHAs is well known and may impact negatively on reprocessing applications. The hydrolysis of metal-bound XHAs within metal ion-XHA complexes is less understood. With the aid of speciation diagrams, we have modelled UV-visible spectrophotometric kinetic studies of the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of acetohydroxamic acid (AHA) bound to the model ion Fe(III). These studies have yielded the following information for the hydrolysis of AHA in the Fe(AHA)²⁺ complex at 293 K: (i) the order with respect to [H⁺] during the rate determining step, m=0.97, is the same as for the free ligand, indicating a similarity of mechanisms; and (ii) the kinetic rate parameter, k ₁=1.02×10⁻⁴ dm³⋅mol⁻¹⋅s⁻¹, is greater than that for the free ligand, k ₀=1.84×10⁻⁵ dm³⋅mol⁻¹⋅s⁻¹ for pH>−0.5, a result that is consistent with a Hammett analysis of the system.