The protonated and unprotonated N,N ' -ethylene-bis-salicylamidatoiron(III)
ions, Fe (SALMH)(2+) and Fe(SALM)(+), undergo fast complexation with L-asc
orbic acid to form ternary complexes, [Fe(SALM)(HASc)]. and [Fe(SALM)(ASc)]
(-) in which the ascorbate ion is chelated to Fe-III centre. These ternary
complexes further undergo intramolecular electron transfer via innersphere
mechanism in the stopped flow time scale producing Fe-II and dehydroascorbi
c acid: the order of reactivity is k(Fe(SALMH))> k(Fe(SALM))(-).