The true statement about base hydrolysis of [Co(CN)5JsBr]3-isa)The rat...
The base hydrolysis of Co(lll) complexes with ligand without replaceable proton like [Co(CN)5Br]3- was found to be very low and independent of the concentration of nucleophile. Since the non-leaving ligand do not contain replaceable proton, the SN1CB mechanism is not possible.
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The true statement about base hydrolysis of [Co(CN)5JsBr]3-isa)The rat...
Base Hydrolysis of [Co(CN)5JsBr]3-
Statement: The rate is independent of the concentration of nucleophile
In base hydrolysis, a compound reacts with water in the presence of a base to form a hydroxide ion. The compound in question, [Co(CN)5JsBr]3-, contains a cobalt ion (Co3+) coordinated with five cyanide ions (CN-) and a bromide ion (Br-). The hydrolysis of this compound can be represented by the following equation:
[Co(CN)5JsBr]3- + OH- -> [Co(CN)5JsOH]2- + Br-
Rate of Reaction
The rate of a chemical reaction is determined by the rate-determining step, which is usually the slowest step in the reaction mechanism. In this case, the rate-determining step is likely the breaking of the Co-N bonds in the complex ion.
The hydrolysis reaction is an example of a nucleophilic substitution (SN) reaction, where the nucleophile (in this case, OH-) replaces a leaving group (in this case, Br-). The rate of an SN reaction is typically dependent on the concentration of the nucleophile.
Explanation
However, in this specific case, the rate of the base hydrolysis of [Co(CN)5JsBr]3- is independent of the concentration of the nucleophile (OH-). This can be attributed to the coordination environment of the cobalt ion.
The cobalt ion in [Co(CN)5JsBr]3- is highly polarized due to the presence of the highly electronegative cyanide ligands. This polarization results in a strong bonding between the cobalt ion and the cyanide ligands, making the Co-N bonds difficult to break. As a result, the rate-determining step of the reaction is the breaking of the Co-N bonds, rather than the attack of the nucleophile.
Since the rate of the reaction is determined by the rate-determining step, which is independent of the concentration of the nucleophile, the overall rate of the reaction is also independent of the concentration of the nucleophile (OH-). Therefore, the true statement about the base hydrolysis of [Co(CN)5JsBr]3- is that the rate is independent of the concentration of the nucleophile.