Reactivity of Co-ordinated oxalate. Part VIII. Further oxygen-18 exchange studies on the trisoxalatocobalt(III) anion

Abstract

The rate of acid-catalysed exchange of oxygen atoms between solvent water and the trisoxalato-complex of cobalt-(III) has been re-investigated. Carbonyl oxygens have been shown to exchange at a greater rate than carboxy oxygens at 25 °C but at higher temperatures carbonyl and carboxy oxygens became kinetically indistinguishable. The significance of this finding in relation to the mechanism of racemisation of trisoxalatocobalt(III) is discussed.