Structural, Spectroscopic, and Thermal Decomposition Features of [Carbonatotetraamminecobalt(III)] Iodide-Insight into the Simultaneous Solid-Phase Quasi-Intramolecular Redox Reactions

[kappa(2)-O,O '-Carbonatotetraamminecobalt(III)] iodide, or [Co(NH3)(4)CO3]I, named in this paper as compound 1, was prepared and characterized comprehensively with spectroscopic (IR, Raman and UV) and single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods. Compound 1 was orthorhombic, and isomorphous with the analogous bromide. The four ammonia ligands and the carbonate anion were coordinated to the central cobalt cation in a distorted octahedral geometry. The carbonate ion formed a four-membered symmetric planar chelate ring. The complex cations were bound to each other by N-H center dot center dot center dot O hydrogen bonds and formed zigzag sheets via an extended 2D hydrogen bond network. The complex cations and iodide ions were arranged into ion pairs and each cation bound its iodide pair through three hydrogen bonds. The thermal decomposition started with the oxidation of the iodide ion by Co-III in the solid phase resulting in [Co(NH3)(4)CO3] and I-2. This intermediate Co-II-complex in situ decomposed into Co3O4 and C-N bond containing intermediates. In inert atmosphere, CO or C-N bond containing compounds, and also, due to the in situ decomposition of CoCO3 intermediate, Co3O4 was formed. The quasi-intramolecular solid-phase redox reaction of [Co(NH3)(4)CO3] might have resulted in the formation of C-N bond containing compounds with substoichiometric release of ammonia and CO2 from compound 1. The C-N bond containing intermediates reduced Co3O4 into CoO and Co, whereas in oxygen-containing atmosphere, the end-product was Co3O4, even at 200 degrees C, and the endothermic ligand loss reaction coincided with the consecutive exothermic oxidation processes.