Electron Transfer Reactivity of the Aqueous Iron(IV)–Oxo Complex. Outer-Sphere vs Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer

The kinetics of oxidation of organic and inorganic reductants by aqueous iron(IV) ions, Fe(IV)(H2O)5O(2+) (hereafter Fe(IV)aqO(2+)), are reported. The substrates examined include several water-soluble ferrocenes, hexachloroiridate(III), polypyridyl complexes M(NN)3(2+) (M = Os, Fe and Ru; NN = phenanthroline, bipyridine and derivatives), HABTS(-)/ABTS(2-), phenothiazines, Co(II)(dmgBF2)2, macrocyclic nickel(II) complexes, and aqueous cerium(III). Most of the reductants were oxidized cleanly to the corresponding one-electron oxidation products, with the exception of phenothiazines which produced the corresponding oxides in a single-step reaction, and polypyridyl complexes of Fe(II) and Ru(II) that generated ligand-modified products. Fe(IV)aqO(2+) oxidizes even Ce(III) (E(0) in 1 M HClO4 = 1.7 V) with a rate constant greater than 10(4) M(-1) s(-1). In 0.10 M aqueous HClO4 at 25 °C, the reactions of Os(phen)3(2+) (k = 2.5 × 10(5) M(-1) s(-1)), IrCl6(3-) (1.6 × 10(6)), ABTS(2-) (4.7 × 10(7)), and Fe(cp)(C5H4CH2OH) (6.4 × 10(7)) appear to take place by outer sphere electron transfer (OSET). The rate constants for the oxidation of Os(phen)3(2+) and of ferrocenes remained unchanged in the acidity range 0.05 < [H(+)] < 0.10 M, ruling out prior protonation of Fe(IV)aqO(2+) and further supporting the OSET assignment. A fit to Marcus cross-relation yielded a composite parameter (log k22 + E(0)Fe/0.059) = 17.2 ± 0.8, where k22 and E(0)Fe are the self-exchange rate constant and reduction potential, respectively, for the Fe(IV)aqO(2+)/Fe(III)aqO(+) couple. Comparison with literature work suggests k22 < 10(-5) M(-1) s(-1) and thus E(0)(Fe(IV)aqO(2+)/Fe(III)aqO(+)) > 1.3 V. For proton-coupled electron transfer, the reduction potential is estimated at E(0) (Fe(IV)aqO(2+), H(+)/Fe(III)aqOH(2+)) ≥ 1.95 V.