Kinetics of Reduction of Some Surfactant-Cobalt(III) Complexes by Iron(II)

Abstract

The electron transfer kinetics of the reaction between the surfactant-cobalt(III) complex ions, cis-[Co(en)₂(C₁₂H₂₅NH₂)₂]³⁺, cis-α-[Co(trien)(C₁₂H₂₅NH₂)₂]³⁺(en:ethylenediamine, trien:triethylenetetramine, C₁₂H₂₅NH₂ : dodecylamine) by iron(II) in aqueous solution was studied at 298, 303, 308 K by spectrophotometry method under pseudo-first-order conditions using an excess of the reductant in self-micelles formed by the oxidant, cobalt(III) complex molecules, themselves. The rate constant of the electron transfer reaction depends on the initial concentration of the surfactant cobalt(III) complexes. ΔS^# also varies with initial concentration of the surfactant cobalt(III) complexes. By assuming outer-sphere mechanism, the results have been explained based on the presence of aggregated structures containing cobalt(III) complexes at the surface of the self-micelles formed by the surfactant cobalt(III) complexes in the reaction medium. The rate constant of each complex increases with initial concentration of one of the reactants surfactant-cobalt(III) complex, which shows that self micelles formed by surfactant-cobalt(III) complex itself has much influence on these reactions. The electron transfer reaction of the surfactant-cobalt(III) complexes was also carried out in a medium of various concentrations of β-cyclodextrin. β-cyclodextrin retarded the rate of the reaction.

Keywords:

• β-cyclodextrin
• electron transfer
• self-micelles
• surfactant-cobalt(III) complex
• thermodynamic parameters

We are grateful to the UGC-SAP & COSIST and DST-FIST programs. Financial assistance from the CSIR (01(2075)/06/EMR-II) and UGC (F.No.32–274/2006 SR) is also gratefully acknowledged.