Mechanistic studies on oxidation of L-ascorbic acid by an oxo-bridged diiron complex in aqueous acidic media.

[Fe2(micro-O)(phen)4(H2O)2]4+ (1) (Fig. 1, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) equilibrates with [Fe2(micro-O)(phen)4(H2O)(OH)]3+ (2) and [Fe2(micro-O)(phen)4(OH)2]2+ (3) in aqueous solution in the presence of excess phen, where no phen-releasing equilibria from 1, 2 and 3 exist. 1 quantitatively oxidizes ascorbic acid (H2A) to dehydroascorbic acid (A) in the pH range 3.00-5.50 in the presence of excess phen, which buffers the reaction within 0.05 pH units and ensures complete formation of end iron product ferroin, [Fe(phen)3]2+. The reactive species are 1, 2 and HA- and the reaction proceeds through an initial 1 : 1 inner-sphere adduct formation between 1 and 2 with HA-, followed by a rate limiting outer-sphere one electron one proton (electroprotic) transfer from a second HA- to the ascorbate-unbound iron(III).