Products and Kinetics of the Reaction of Monomeric Target Bis-(Acetylacetonato) Copper(II) with Transmetalator Bis-(Diethoxydithiophosphato) Zinc(II) in Methylene Chloride

Reaction of bis-(acetylacetonato) copper(ΙΙ) (A) with transmetalator Zn((EtO)2PS2)2 (B2; Et = ethyl) in methylene chloride is a simple irreversible second-order process over a wide temperature range which is the first example of a second-order reaction of mononuclear target A with a transmetalator. The plots of kobsd vs [A] are linear, meaning that there is one A and one B2 in the activated complex of the slowest reaction step. The slowest step is precursor formation on the basis that B2 is an exceptionally weak complex. The product of the A/B2 reaction is the strong successor complex Zn(acac)2•Cu(ps)2. The data are compared with those for reactions of the same target (A) with S-methyle isopropylidenehydrazinecarbodithioate-carbodithioato-metal(II) complexes M(SN)2 (M=Ni (C1) and Zn (C2)). The reaction is not like that of A with Ni ((MeO)2PS2)2 (B1; Me=methyl), because it is irreversible and also consistent with the measured lower relative thermodynamic stability of B2 compared to B1.