Formation of hydrogen peroxide upon oxidation of oxalic acid in presence and absence of oxygen-II Oxygen as oxidant.
Hydrogen peroxide, m a mixture that is 0.1M in manganese(II) sulphate and sulphuric add and exposed to light from a tungsten lamp, decomposes slowly at room temperature in a nitrogen atmosphere. At 75 degrees the reaction is fairly rapid in the dark (about 20-25% in 4 hr) and about 60% faster in light. Presence of oxalic add has little effect on the rate of disappearance of peroxide, the overall reaction corresponding to H(2)C(2)O(4) + H(2)O(2) --> 2CO(2) + 2H(2)O. In the presence of oxygen [and manganese(II)] this reaction does not take place; instead, hydrogen peroxide is formed and oxalic add disappears in equimolar amounts. The extent of all reactions greatly increases with increasing concentration of manganese. Acrylonitrilc acts as a retarder. Conditions m the presence of mangancse(II) are described, under which oxalic add can be oxidized quantitatively by oxygen to carbon dioxide with formation of an amount of hydrogen peroxide equimolar to the oxalic add oxidized. Reaction mechanisms are proposed to account for the fact that in the absence of oxygen 1 mole of peroxide disappears and in the presence of oxygen 1 mote of peroxide is formed for each mole of oxalic add reacted.
Kolthoff
I M
IM
Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, U.S.A.
Meehan
E J
EJ
Kimura
M
M