Formation and reactivity of a porphyrin iridium hydride in water: acid dissociation constants and equilibrium thermodynamics relevant to Ir-H, Ir-OH, and Ir-CH2- bond dissociation energetics.

Aqueous solutions of group nine metal(III) (M = Co, Rh, Ir) complexes of tetra(3,5-disulfonatomesityl)porphyrin [(TMPS)M(III)] form an equilibrium distribution of aquo and hydroxo complexes ((TMPS)M(III)(D(2)O)(2-n)(OD)(n)). Evaluation of acid dissociation constants for coordinated water show that the extent of proton dissociation from water increases regularly on moving down the group from cobalt to iridium, which is consistent with the expected order of increasing metal-ligand bond strengths. Aqueous (D(2)O) solutions of (TMPS)Ir(III)(D(2)O)(2) react with dihydrogen to form an iridium hydride complex ((TMPS)Ir-D(D(2)O)) with an acid dissociation constant of 1.8(0.5) × 10(-12) (298 K), which is much smaller than the Rh-D derivative (4.3 (0.4) × 10(-8)), reflecting a stronger Ir-D bond. The iridium hydride complex adds with ethene and acetaldehyde to form organometallic derivatives (TMPS)Ir-CH(2)CH(2)D(D(2)O) and (TMPS)Ir-CH(OD)CH(3)(D(2)O). Only a six-coordinate carbonyl complex (TMPS)Ir-D(CO) is observed for reaction of the Ir-D with CO (P(CO) = 0.2-2.0 atm), which contrasts with the (TMPS)Rh-D analog which reacts with CO to produce an equilibrium with a rhodium formyl complex ((TMPS)Rh-CDO(D(2)O)). Reactivity studies and equilibrium thermodynamic measurements were used to discuss the relative M-X bond energetics (M = Rh, Ir; X = H, OH, and CH(2)-) and the thermodynamically favorable oxidative addition of water with the (TMPS)Ir(II) derivatives.