A Comparison of Some Aspects of the Aqueous Coordination Chemistry of Aluminum(III) and Iron(III)

The aqueous coordination chemistry of Al3+ and Fe3+ is compared. The differences in electronegativities (Xm ), ionic radii (ri ) and electron configuration (dn ) for the two ions are shown to influence trends in aquo ion structure and reactivity, hydrolysis, and metal complex stability. Similarities in coordination chemistry result in similarities in distribution and modes of transport for Al3+ and Fe3+ in a biological system.