Metallomicelles made of Ni(II) complexes of lipophilic 2-pyridineketoximesas powerful catalysts of the cleavage of carboxylic acid esters

A series of 2-pyridineketoximes With paraffinic chains of different lengths (CH3, la; C8H17, Ib; C13H27, Ic) has been synthesized, and their complexes with Cu(II), Co(II), Zn(II), and Ni(II) have been investigated in the clea vage of p-nitrophenyl esters of carboxylic and phosphoric acids in water (l a) or in comicelles with CTABr (Ib,c). While the Co(II) and Cu(II) complexe s are ineffective in promoting the cleavage of acetate (PNPA) and hexanoate (PNPH) esters, the Zn(II) and especially the Ni(II) complexes strongly acc elerate the cleavage of such substrates. With the latter metal ion, the eff ective species is a complex with a 2:1 ligand/metal ion stoichiometry and a pK(a) of the oximic hydroxyl of approximately 5 and 3.7 in the absence and in the presence of CTABr, respectively. Strong evidence has been obtained concerning the mode of action which involves nucleophilic attack of the oxi mate function on the carbonyl carbon of the ester to give, as transient int ermediate, the acylated oxime; its Ni(II)-mediated hydrolysis by water has also been investigated to better define the whole catalytic cycle. The syst em displays its highest efficiency at low pH values and in comicelles of CT ABr: in the presence of 1b/Ni(II)/CTABr at pH 4 the observed rate enhanceme nts are of over 5 orders of magnitude in the cleavage of PNPH and the syste m is truly catalytic with a sizable turnover rate. In comparison with the h igh reactivity toward carboxylic esters, the metal ion complexes of the ket oximes investigated are surprisingly ineffective in promoting the cleavage of p-nitrophenyl esters of diphenylphosphoric acid (PNPDPP).