Mechanistic studies on metal-pyrophosphate hydrolysis. Structure of tetraammine(chloroaquo)cobalt (III) dichloride ([Co(NH3)4ClH2O]2+.2Cl-), an acid hydrolysis product of Co(NH3)4HP2O7 and Co(NH3)4PO4.

The octahedral complex tetraammine(chloroaquo)cobalt(III) dichloride is shown to be the HCl hydrolysis product of both P1,2-bidentate tetraammine(pyrophosphato)cobalt(III) [Co(NH3)4HP2O7 or CoPP] and bidentate tetraammine(phosphato)cobalt(III) [Co(NH3)4PO4 or CoP]. The complex crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pna21 with cell dimensions a = 13.033(2)A, b = 6.710(1)A, and c = 10.318(2)A; the crystal structure was refined to a final disagreement index of 0.033. The average of the four Co-N distances is 1.944 +/- 6A. The Co-Cl distance is 2.257(2)A and the Co-O(W) distance is 1.971(4)A. Both protons of the coordinated water molecule are engaged in strong hydrogen bonds to the two nonbonded chloride counterions with O(W)-Cl distances of 3.087(6)A and 3.123(6)A. Each nonbonded chloride is engaged in seven hydrogen bonding interactions resulting from the high ratio of hydrogen bond donors to acceptors in the CoP structure. Cobalt bisphosphate (CoP2) is the final enzyme hydrolysis product when CoPP is used as substrate in the yeast inorganic pyrophosphatase reaction. The bridge oxygen atom is the site of initial CoPP cleavage both for HCl catalyzed hydrolysis as well as for enzyme catalyzed hydrolysis.