Kinetic studies on the formation of ternary complexes in the reaction of diaquonitrilotriacetatonickelate(II) with amino acids in aqueous solution

Summary Kinetics of formation of ternary complexes in the reaction of Ni(NTA)(H₂O) ₂ ^– with several amino acids, LH^± (glycine, -alanine, -alanine, L-valine and L-phenylalanine) have been studied by a pH indicator method using stopped-flow spectrophotometry. The results conform to 1/k_obs = 1/k + H⁺]/ kKT_L where K is the equilibrium constant for formation of Ni(NTA)(–L)(H₂O)^2–, and k is the specific rate constant for the subsequent rate-determining ring-closure step leading to Ni(NTA)(=L)^2–. For the different amino acids studied, the k values decrease in the sequence: glycine > -alanine > L-phenylalanine > L-valine > -alanine. These k values areca. 1000 times lower than the values for complexation of Ni(NTA)(H₂O) ₂ ^– with NH₃ and imidazole and the spread in k values is much less than the pK_a values of the amino acids. The relative rates are enthalpy controlled and the S values are highly negative in conformity with ring closure as the rate determining step.