Kinetic study of addition of nitrogen and phosphorus donors bis(maleonitriledithiolate)cobalt(III)
Kinetics of adduct formation of the dimeric form of bis(maleonitriledithiolate)cobalt(III) with pyridine, triphenylphosphine, triphenylarsine, and 1,10-phenanthroline are reported. Rates are first order in ligand and half order in complex dimer in acetone. This suggests addition of the fifth ligand to an uncoordinated axial position of the square planar species as rate controlling. A (presumably) five coordinate intermediate can be detected kinetically on the way to six coordination in the reaction with 1,10-phenanthrioline and its rearrangement to an octahedral six coordinate chelate is slow. All these results may be interpreted in terms of the significant delocalized π bonding in the square planar dithiolene complexes.