ISSN 1017-2548(Print)
ISSN 2234-8530(Online)
Volume 40, Number 4
JKCSEZ 40(4)
August 20, 1996 

Five cobalt(Ⅲ) complexes were synthesized from bi- or tridentate nitrogen ligands. Catalytic actions of these complexes for hydrolyses of p-nitrophenyl picolinate, p-nitrophenyl nicotinate, and p-nitrophenyl isonicotinate were investigated by a spectrophotometric method. p-Nitrophenyl picolinate showed the most senstive reaction among three substrates by these catalysts. Aquohydroxo Co(Ⅲ) complexes raised as much as 21∼40 times the rate of hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl picolinate at pH 6.5. Activities of complexes were in the order: Co(ibpn)(OH)2(OH2) > Co(aepn)(OH)2(OH2) > Co(tn)2(OH)(OH2) > Co(bpy)2(OH)(OH2) > Co(dien)(OH)2(OH2). Catalytic hydrolysis was postulated to proceed through a intramolecular general base catalysis path which is mixed by a partial intramolecular nucleophilic catalysis.