Methyl Transfer Reactivity of Five-Coordinate CH₃Co^IIIPc

CH₃Co^IIIPc (Pc = dianion of phthalocyanine) has been characterized by equilibrium studies of its trans axial ligation and cyclic voltammetry as a relatively “electron poor” model of methylcobalamin, which in noncoordinating solvents persists as a five-coordinate complex. Axial base (N-donors, PBu₃, SCN^-, weakly binding O-donors) inhibition of methyl transfer from CH₃Co^IIIPc shows that the reaction proceeds via the reactive five-coordinate species, even in coordinating solvents. The virtual inactivity of six-coordinate CH₃Co^IIIPc(L) complexes provides a reference point for important biological processes.