OXIDATION OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS WITH CERIUM(4) .7. FORMATION CONSTANTS FOR 1 - 1 CERIUM(4)-ALCOHOL COMPLEXES

Formation constants for several 1:1 cerium(IV)-alcohol complexes formed between ceric ammonium nitrate and benzyl alcohols, primary, secondary, and tertiary aliphatic alcohols, glycols and glycol monoalkyl ethers, β-substituted ethanols, and some other functionalized alcohols were measured spectrophotometrically in 70% aqueous acetonitrile containing 0.02 M ceric ammonium nitrate and 0.5 M nitric acid at 21.0°. A few formation constants were measured in 70% aqueous acetic acid, water, and water with added salts, all solutions containing 0.02 M ceric ammonium nitrate and 0.5 M nitric acid at 21.0°. From these measurements it is concluded that the formation constants of the cerium(IV)-alcohol complexes are not very sensitive to changes in the electronic nature of the hydroxy group of the alcohols that form the complexes. In solvents such as 70% aqueous acetonitrile, the steric requirements of solvation seem to be greater than those of complexation since the formation constants of the cerium-(IV)-alcohol complexes increase as the hydroxy group of a series of alcohols becomes more sterically crowded if other factors remain more or less constant. Finally, under the conditions of our study, no evidence for any strong interactions between the cerium(IV) and a second functional group, either near or far from the hydroxy group, was found. Small changes in the equilibrium constants were noted, however, when a second functional group was added to an alcohol, but all of these changes could have resulted from small electronic or steric differences or relatively weak interactions such as hydrogen bonding or dipole-dipole attractions of the second functional group with cerium or its ligands. Formation constants for complexes of cerium(IV) with cis- and trans-4-t-butylcyclohexanols in 70% aqueous acetonitrile containing 0.01 M eerie ammonium nitrate and 0.5 M nitric acid at 21.0° were measured. Under these conditions, it is found that the equilibrium constant for the cis (axial) alcohol is en times greater than that of the trans (equatorial) alcohol. From these results and analysis of existing rate data for chromic acid oxidation of stereoisomeric pairs of alcohols, it is concluded that steric hindrance to solvation of alcohols must be considered as well as relief of steric strain as an explanation for the more rapid rate of metal ion oxidations of the more sterically hindered alcohol of a pair of stereoisomeric alcohols. © 1969, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.