Studies on the oxidation of red phosphorus by potassium permanganate in an acid medium

Summary Oxidation of red phosphorus by an acid solution of potassium permanganate has been studied and applied in the volumetric determination of red phosphorus. The kinetics of the oxidation-reduction process show that the reaction is of the bimolecular order. Influence of temperature on the velocity coefficient (K) as also the variation of (K) for different concentrations of the oxidant, observed, have been made use of in evaluating the activation energy of the reaction. Further the utilisability of this simple procedure for the volumetric determination of red phosphorus is emphasized.The nature of the above oxidation reaction in an alkaline medium is being investigated.Sincere thanks of the authors are due to Prof. S S. Joshi, for facilities and kind interest in the work.