RATES OF DISSOCIATIVE IONIC REACTIONS IN AQUEOUS MIXTURES CORRELATED WITH OPPOSING GIBBS ENERGIES OF TRANSFER OF SINGLE IONS - SOLVOLYSIS OF CHLOROPENTACYANOCOBALTATE(III) ANIONS IN WATER PLUS ETHANOL AND WATER PLUS UREA

The kinetics of the solvolysis of Co(CN)(5)Cl3- have been investigated in water with an added structure former, ethanol, and with added urea , which has only a weak effect on the solvent structure. As this solvo lysis involves a rate-determining dissociative step corresponding clos ely to a 100% separation, Co3+... Cl-, in the transition state, a Gibb s energy cycle relating Gibbs energies of activation in water and in t he mixtures to Gibbs energies of transfer of individual ionic species between water and the mixtures, Delta G(t)(o)(i), can be applied. The acceleration of the reaction found with both these cosolvents results from the compensation of the retarding positive Delta G(t)(o)(Cl-) by the negative term [Delta G(t)(o)[Co(CN)(5)(2-)]-Delta G(t)(o)[Co(CN)(5 )Cl3- arising from {Delta G(t)(o)[Co(CN)(5)Cl3-] > Delta G(t)(o)[Co(CN )(5)(2-)]}. Moreover, only a small tendency to extrema in the enthalpi es and entropies of activation is found with both these cosolvents, as was also found with added methanol or ethane-1,2-diol, but unlike the extrema found when hydrophobic alcohols are added to water. With the latter, much greater negative values for {Delta G(t)(o)[Co(CN)(5)(2-)] - Delta(t)(o)[Co(CN)(5)Cl3-] are found. When {Delta G(t)(o)[Co(CN)(5) (2-)] - Delta GGP[Co(CN)(5)Cl3-]} becomes low enough not to compensate for the positive Delta G(t)(o)(Cl-), as with added hydrophilic glucos e, the reaction is retarded. Compensating contributions of the various Delta G(t)(o)(i) involved in the Gibbs energy cycle with added methan ol or ethane-1, 2-diol allow log (rate constant) to vary linearly with the reciprocal of the relative permittivity of the medium.