Kinetics and mechanism of the oxidation of several ketones by tris(1,10-phenanthroline)Fe(III) in aqueous acid medium
The kinetics of the oxidation of acetone, 2-butanone, 2,4-dimethyl-3-pentanone, 3-methyl-2-butanone, and 3-pentanone by tris(1,10-phenanthroline)Fe(III) (ferriin) were determined in aqueous solutions containing either sulphuric or perchloric acid in the presence or absence of air. The kinetics are consistent only with a mechanism involving oxidation of the enol tautomer by ferriin. The rate constants of enolization calculated from this kinetic analysis agree well with the literature values. Relative reactivity of the four enols from symmetrical ketones were found to be in the order: 2,4-dimethyl-3-pentanone > 3-pentanone > cyclohexanone > acetone. The rate of oxidation of the enol form of 2,4-dimethyl-3-pentanone is approximately 1000 fold larger than that of the enol form of acetone, indicating that electron-donating methyl substituents enhance the rate of electron transfer from the enol tautomer to ferriin.Kinetics of the oxidation carried out in air were generally the same as in its absence; the rates of oxidation were found to be slower by a factor of 2 in most cases. This suggests that the initially formed enol radical reacts with O2 rather than a second ferriin to give the oxidized product. At high [ferriin] in air, pseudo zero-order kinetics were observed initially as in its absence. However, above about 50% reduction of ferriin, the reaction appears to involve auto-catalysis and was not studied further.