Upon solution in water, both
[hydroxy(mesyloxy)iodo]benzene and
[hydroxy(tosyloxy)iodo]benzene undergo
complete ionization to give the hydroxy(phenyl)iodonium ion
(PhI+OH) and the corresponding sulfonate ion
(RSO2O-)
as fully solvated species, i.e., “free” ions. The
phenyliodonium solution species do not form ion pairs with
the
organosulfonate ions. The hydroxy(phenyl)iodonium ion is
presumed to be ligated with at least one water molecule
at an apical site of the iodine(III) atom originally occupied by
the sulfonate ion. In view of the relative basicities
of HO- and H2O, the hydroxy ligand of the
[hydroxy(aquo)iodo]benzene ion
(PhI+(OH2)OH) is expected to
be
strongly bound and the water ligand is expected to be weakly bound to
the iodine(III) center. This species has a
pK
A at (4.30 ± 0.05).
PhI+(OH2)OH and its conjugate
base are present in equilibrium with the
[hydroxy(auqo)]-μ-oxodiphenyldiiodine cation
(Ph(HO)I−O−I+(OH2)Ph).
This μ-oxo dimer is present at significant levels even
in
relatively dilute solutions as the combination equilibrium constant is
(540 ± 50). This dimer can be protonated, and
the pK
A of the conjugate acid is ≈2.5.
The equilibrium constant for dimerization of
[oxo(aquo)iodo]benzene
(PhI+(OH2)O-), the
most important monomer in acidic solutions, is ≈8.6.
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