The rate of reduction of Co(NH 3 ) 5 (OH 2 ) 3 by Cr(II) is seven orders of magnitude slower than reduction of its conjugate base, Co(NH 3 ) 5 (OH) 2 , by Cr(II) For the corresponding reductions with Ru(NH 3 ) 6 2 , the two differ by less than a factor of 10 What do these observations suggest about...

The significant difference in the rates of reduction between CoNH35OH23 and its conjugate base CoNH3 ...

The rate of reduction of [Co(NH 3 ) 5 (OH 2 )] 3+ by Cr(II) is seven

Question:

The rate of reduction of [Co(NH₃)₅(OH₂)]³⁺ by Cr(II) is seven orders of magnitude slower than reduction of its conjugate base, [Co(NH₃)₅(OH)]²⁺, by Cr(II). For the corresponding reductions with [Ru(NH₃)₆]²⁺, the two differ by less than a factor of 10. What do these observations suggest about mechanisms?