The kinetics of reduction of two cobalt(III) complexes with similar redox potentials by hexacyanoferrate(II) were investigated in water and in reverse micelle (RM) microemulsions. The RMs were composed of water, surfactant [(sodium(bis(2-ethylhexylsulfosuccinate)), NaAOT], and isooctane. Compared to the reaction in water, the reduction rates of (ethylenediaminetetraacetato)cobaltate(III) by hexacyanoferrate(II) were dramatically suppressed in RM microemulsions whereas a slight rate increase was observed for reduction of bis-(2,6-dipicolinato)cobaltate(III). For example, the ferrocyanide reduction of [Co(dipic)(2)](-) increased from 55 M(-1) s(-1)in aqueous media to 85 M(-1) s(-1) in a w(o) = 20 RM. The one-dimensional (1-D) and two-dimensional (2-D) (1)H NMR and FT-IR studies are consistent with the reduction rate constants of these two complexes being affected by their location within the RM. Since reduction of [Co(edta)](-) is switched off, in contrast to [Co(dipic)(2)](-), these observations are attributed to the penetration of the [Co(edta)](-) into the interfacial region of the RM whereas [Co(dipic)(2)](-) is in a region highly accessible to the water pool and thus hexacyanoferrate(II). These results demonstrated that compartmentalization completely turns off a redox reaction in a dynamic microemulsion system by either reactant separation or alteration of the redox potentials of the reactants.

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The kinetics and mechanism for the oxidation of phosphite, hypophosphite, phenylphosphite, and trimethylphosphite by ferrate(VI) are reported. Hypophosphite is rapidly oxidized to phosphite which is slowly oxidized to phosphate, trimethylphosphite is oxidized to trimethylphosphate, and phenylphosphite is oxidized phenylphosphate. (18)O induced shifts of the (31)P NMR signals support oxygen transfer from ferrate(VI) to the phosphorus center during the oxidation process. Deuteration of the hydridic hydrogens in hypophosphite and phosphite resulted in significant kinetic isotope effects on the reaction rates. It is proposed that ferrate(VI) acts as a two-electron oxidant in conjunction with oxide transfer coupled with phosphorus hydrogen bond breaking for phosphite and hypophosphite and simple oxygen transfer for trimethylphosphite and phenylphosphite.

An enhancement in the electron-transfer rates of metal complexes confined to a nanoscale environment within a sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate/water/isooctane reverse micelle (RM) are reported. The rate constants increase up to

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