Luminescent chemical waves in the Cu(II)-catalyzed oscillatory oxidation of SCN- ions with hydrogen peroxide

The oscillatory oxidation of thiocyanate ions with hydrogen peroxide, catalyzed by Cu2+ ions in alkaline media, was so far observed as occurring simultaneously in the entire space of the batch or flow reactor. We performed this reaction for the first time in the thin-layer reactor and observed the spatiotemporal course of the above process, in the presence of luminol as the chemiluminescent indicator. A series of luminescent patterns periodically starting from the random reaction center and spreading throughout the entire solution layer was reported. For a batch-stirred system, the bursts of luminescence were found to correlate with the steep decreases of the oscillating Pt electrode potential. These novel results open possibilities for further experimental and theoretical investigations of those spatiotemporal patterns, including studies of the mechanism of this chemically complex process.     

The oxidation of aminophenazone by hydrogen peroxide

Aqueous solutions of aminophenazone were oxidized by excess hydrogen peroxide in acidic, neutral and alkaline media and the reaction was followed using thin-layer chromatography and spectrophotometry in the visible and uv regions. The oxidation course is explained on the basis of detection of the products formed (4-methylaminoantipyrine, 4-aminoantipyrine, 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-(phenylazo)-5-pyrazolone, 1-acetyl-1-methyl-2-di-methyl-oxanil-2-phenylhydrazine, oxalic acid, dimethylamine).     

Reaction of a copper(II)-nitrosyl complex with hydrogen peroxide: putative formation of a copper(I)-peroxynitrite intermediate

The reaction of a Cu(II)-nitrosyl complex (1) with hydrogen peroxide at -20 °C in acetonitrile results in the formation of the corresponding Cu(I)-peroxynitrite intermediate. The reduction of the Cu(II) center was monitored by UV-visible spectroscopic studies. Formation of the peroxynitrite intermediate has been confirmed by its characteristic phenol ring nitration reaction as well as isolation of corresponding Cu(I)-nitrate (2). On air oxidation, 2 resulted in the corresponding Cu(II)-nitrate (3). Thus, these results demonstrate a possible decomposition pathway for H(2)O(2) and NO through the formation of a peroxynitrite intermediate in biological systems.     

Ru(III)-EDTA catalyzed oxidation of ascorbic acid by hydrogen peroxide in aqueous solution

The kinetics of oxidation of ascorbic acid to dehydroascorbic acid by hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by ethylenediaminetetraacetatoruthenate(III) has been studied over the pH range 1.50 – 2.50, at 30°C and μ = 0.1 M KNO₃. The reaction has a first-order dependence on ascorbic acid and Ru(III)-EDTA concentrations, an inverse first-order dependence on hydrogen ion concentration, and is independent of hydrogen peroxide concentration in the pH range studied. A mechanism has been proposed in which ascorbate anion forms a kinetic intermediate with the catalyst in a pre-equilibrium step. Ruthenium(III) is reduced to ruthenium(II) in a rate-determining step and is reoxidized with hydrogen peroxide back to the Ru(III) complex in a fast step.     

Kinetics of Iron-catalyzed decomposition of hydrogen peroxide in alkaline solution

The decomposition of alkaline hydrogen peroxide solutions at 20°C has been studied in the presence of both supported iron catalysts and in systems with iron initially in solution. Studies with an iron-alumina supported catalyst showed the decomposition reaction was first order with respect to total peroxide concentration, while studies with alkaline Fe³⁺ produced more complex behavior. This has been attributed to the presence of at least two distinct catalytically active iron species. The first species is highly active and gives rise to high initial rates of reaction. A decrease in concentration of this species is observed together with an increase in concentration of a second, less active, iron species. The catalytic behavior of this “aged” iron species was found to be very similar to that of the supported iron catalyst.     

High performance liquid chromatography study on the kinetics and mechanism of chlorite-thiosulfate reaction in slightly alkaline medium

Chlorite-thiosulfate reaction was studied by high performance liquid chromatography under slightly alkaline solution by monitoring the concentration of thiosulfate and tetrathionate simultaneously during the course of reaction. It is demonstrated that various polythionates are formed and the composition of polythionates mainly depends on pH. Initial rate studies have revealed that the formal kinetic order of hydrogen ion is unambiguously unity but that of chlorite ion is significantly larger, while that of thiosulfate is lower than one. A 10-step kinetic model is proposed with seven fitted and three fixed parameters by simultaneous evaluation of kinetic data taking all the important characteristics of the measured kinetic curves into account. It is also enlightened that higher formal kinetic order of chlorite and lower kinetic order of thiosulfate than unity is an inherent feature of the system and may explain the systematic deviation between the measured and the calculated data encountered in previous studies.     

Kinetics of oxidation of bilirubin and its protein complex by hydrogen peroxide in aqueous solutions

A comparative study of oxidation reactions of bilirubin and its complex with albumin was carried out in aqueous solutions under the action of hydrogen peroxide and molecular oxygen at different pH values. Free radical oxidation of the pigment in both free and bound forms at pH 7.4 was shown not to lead to the formation of biliverdin, but to be associated with the decomposition of the tetrapyrrole chromophore into monopyrrolic products. The effective and true rate constants of the reactions under study were determined. It was assumed that one possible mechanism of the oxidation reaction is associated with the interaction of peroxyl radicals and protons of the NH groups of bilirubin molecules at the limiting stage with the formation of a highly reactive radical intermediate. The binding of bilirubin with albumin was found to result in a considerable reduction in the rate of the oxidation reaction associated with the kinetic manifestation of the protein protection effect. It was found that the autoxidation of bilirubin by molecular oxygen with the formation of biliverdin at the intermediate stage can be observed with an increase in the pH of solutions.     

过氧化氢水溶液催化氧化环戊烯制备戊二醛

用过氧化氢水溶液氧化环戊烯制得戊二醛。对多种催化剂-溶剂体系进行了试验, 在钨酸-叔丁醇体系中得到了最高的戊二醛得率: 近60%(30%过氧化氢水溶液为氧化剂)或80%(50%过氧化氢水溶液为氧化剂)。同时, 对该反应的机理进行了初步研究, 提出环戊烯被过氧化氢氧化为戊二醛是经过环氧化物中间产物的观点。     

Alkaline hydrogen peroxide bleaching of cellulose

A closed system bleaching apparatus was designed to determine the kinetics and effects of various factors on alkaline hydrogen peroxide bleaching of textile cellulose fabrics. It was confirmed that perhydroxyl anion is the primary bleaching moiety in alkaline hydrogen peroxide systems. The use of the apparatus in the measurement of fabric color, waste oxygen, and the subsequent calculation of hydroxyl ion, and molecular hydrogen peroxide confirmed that pH and titration of 'free' hydrogen peroxide in alkaline bleaching systems are not good indicators of bleaching mechanism. The role of the cellulose itself in the chemical bleaching system was determined. The rate of bleaching on cotton fabric was shown to be a first order reaction in concentration of perhydroxyl anion at 60 and 90°C. An activation energy of 17kcal/mole was estimated. Decomposition of H₂O₂ into waste oxygen was found to be second order kinetics.     

Theoretical study on the oxidation mechanism of thiourea by hydrogen peroxide with water and hydroxyl assistance

This article presents a theoretical study on the oxidation reaction of thiourea by hydrogen peroxide in water or alkaline solutions using density functional and ab initio theories. This work also focuses on the analysis of the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of the predicted oxidation mechanism of thiourea using density functional and ab initio theories. The calculated results show that the activation energies, activation enthalpies, and activation Gibbs free energies of the reaction decreased and the releasable reaction energies, enthalpies and Gibbs free energies increased with the cooperation of water or hydroxyl anion. We conclude that the oxidation reaction of thiourea by hydrogen peroxide in water or alkaline solutions was easier and more completed than that in the gas state. The calculated results are consistent with the experiments.     

Influence of heavy metal ion on the thermal explosion of hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide containing impurities has caused a lot of explosion accidents. In this study, a simple device that using a glass vessel was made, cupric chloride was added into hydrogen peroxide, and properties of runaway reaction of hydrogen peroxide were evaluated. As a result, when copper ion exists over 0.04%, 50 g of 30%-hydrogen peroxide has caused runaway reaction. Besides, it has been confirmed that the shape of the reactor and initial temperature influence runaway reaction.     

Factorial design analysis of the catalytic activity of di‐imine copper(II) complexes in the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide

Factorial design analysis was applied to the study of the catalytic activity of di‐imine copper(II) complexes, in the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. The studied complexes show a tridentate imine ligand (apip), derived from 2‐acetylpyridine and 2‐(2‐aminoethyl)pyridine, and a hydroxo or an imidazole group at the fourth coordination site of the copper ion. The factorial design models for both [Cu(apip)imH]²⁺ and [Cu(apip)OH]⁺ were similar. Increasing the peroxide concentration from 3.2 × 10^?3 to 8.1 × 10^?3 mol L^?1 resulted in increased oxygen formation. Increasing the pH from 7 to 11 also increased oxygen formation and had an effect about twice as large as the peroxide one. Both complexes also had an important interaction effect between peroxide concentration and pH. However, increasing the catalyst concentration led to a decrease in total oxygen formation. The obtained results were corroborated by further data, achieved by using the usual univariate method, and helped to elucidate equilibrium steps occurring in the studied systems. In very alkaline solutions, the studied [Cu(apip)imH]²⁺ complex can form the corresponding dinuclear species, [Cu₂(apip)₂im]³⁺. While the mononuclear complex proved to be an efficient catalyst in hydrogen peroxide decomposition, the corresponding dinuclear compound seemed to be able to coordinate with the dioxygen molecule, inhibiting its observed release. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 33: 472–479, 2001     

Dioxaborirane: a highly reactive peroxide that is the likely intermediate in borate catalysed electrophilic reactions of hydrogen peroxide in alkaline aqueous solution

This paper reports on a kinetic and theoretical study into the borate mediated reaction of dimethyl sulfide with hydrogen peroxide in both acid and alkaline conditions. At high pH, whilst the kinetic data is consistent with the catalytic species being monoperoxoborate, formed from the rapid equilibrium between hydrogen peroxide and boric acid, DFT calculations show that this species is in fact less reactive than hydrogen peroxide, requiring us to seek an alternative catalytic mechanism. DFT provides an important insight for this, showing that although boric acid and peroxoboric acid are primarily Lewis acids, they can exhibit a small degree of Br?nsted acidity, allowing, respectively, the B(O)(OH)(2)(-) and HOOB(OH)(O)(-) anions to exist in small concentrations. Whilst the peroxoborate anion, HOOB(OH)(O)(-), is predicted to have only marginal catalytic activity, its tautomer, dioxaborirane, (HO)(2)BO(2)(-), a three membered cyclic peroxide, has a very low activation barrier of 2.8 kcal/mol. Hence, even though dioxaborirane is likely to be present in very low concentrations, it is still sufficiently reactive for overall rate enhancements to be observed for this system. This is the first literature report of this species. The observed low selectivity observed for borate catalysed reactions of hydrogen peroxide with a range of substituted phenyl methyl sulfides in our previous study (D. M. Davies, M. E. Deary, K. Quill and R. A. Smith, Chem.-Eur. J. 2005, 11, 3552-3558) is further evidence in favour of a highly reactive catalytic species. At low pH, kinetic data shows that borate catalyses the reaction between hydrogen peroxide and dimethyl sulfide; this is supported by DFT calculations that predict peroxoboric acid to be an effective catalytic intermediate, with an energy barrier of 7.4 kcal mol(-1) compared to 10.1 kcal mol(-1) for the uncatalysed system. Nevertheless, the overall contribution of this pathway is small because of the unfavourable equilibrium between hydrogen peroxide and boric acid to form peroxoboric acid.     

Fluorometric determination of hydrogen peroxide using resorufin and peroxidase

A fluorometric method for the determination of hydrogen peroxide using resorufin as a substrate for peroxidase is described. Two procedures were developed for the determination of hydrogen peroxide. One involves the addition of hydrogen peroxide sample to a solution of peroxidase and resorufin in phosphate buffer, pH 6.4. Fluorescence measurements are performed before and after hydrogen peroxide addition. The within-run CVs for final concentrations of hydrogen peroxide of 200 and 40 nmol/liter were 1.7 and 7.6%, respectively, and the limit of quantitation was 9 nmol/liter. The second procedure, in which the initial reaction of hydrogen peroxide with resorufin is performed in citrate buffer at pH 4.5, and then the fluorescence is measured after the pH is adjusted to 9.2 with borate buffer, has a limit of quantitation of 4.4 nmol/liter with a within-run CV of 6.5% for a final hydrogen peroxide concentration of 20 nmol/liter. The method is linear at least up to 1 μmol/liter.     

Effect of base nature on the oxidation of dimethyl sulfoxide with hydrogen peroxide in superbasic media

Kinetic relationships of the dimethyl sulfoxide oxidation to dimethyl sulfone with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of an alkali (MOH) or sodium tert-butoxide were investigated. Kinetic parameters of the process were calculated. The process was found to proceed through the intermediate formation of the alkaline salts MeOOH. The effect of the base nature on the stage of salt formation and oxidation was revealed.     

A kinetic study of rearrangement and degradation reactions of tetrathionate and trithionate in near-neutral solutions

The kinetics of reactions of trithionate and tetrathionate via different reaction pathways were studied in near-neutral solutions. In the case of trithionate, the predominant degradation reaction is hydrolysis to thiosulfate and sulfate. The pseudofirst-order rate constant is independent of pH and measured to be (6.2 ± 0.2) × 10(-7) s(-1) for the pH range of 5.5-10.5. With tetrathionate, the reaction in both neutral and alkaline solutions occurs via a thiosulfate catalyzed rearrangement reaction to trithionate and pentathionate followed by their further reactions. The data suggest that when thiosulfate is completely absent, this first step will not occur, and in the presence of thiosulfate, the rate of the first step is independent of pH in the pH range 6-8. The secondary reactions include the hydrolysis of trithionate and the further rearrangement and degradation of pentathionate. This mechanism explains the dominant reaction products for both neutral and alkaline solutions. In the presence of thiosulfate and at near-neutral pH, the rearrangement reactions dominate over the degradation reactions and exhibit second-order kinetics, with the rate constants in the pH range of 6-8 determined to be (4.24 ± 0.26) and (1.89 ± 0.18) × 10(-4) M(-1) s(-1) for tetra- and pentathionates, respectively. At extremely low thiosulfate concentrations, the main secondary reaction is the hydrolysis of trithionate at pH < 7, and at pH > 7, the degradation of pentathionate.     

Size-exclusion chromatography of the soluble lignin products from hydrogen peroxide brightening of mechanical pulps

The molar mass distributions and yields of soluble lignin degradation products formed during the alkaline hydrogen peroxide brightening of spruce mechanical pulp have been determined. These distributions depend on pH, the extent to which the pulp was subjected to solvent extractions, H₂O₂ concentration and reaction time. At and below pH 11, there is an excellent correlation between the brightness and b values on pulp and the amounts of residual peroxide and lignin derived products in solution. Brightening reactions lead primarily to products with intermediate molecular mass values between 1500 and 6000. During multistage brightening, the products formed are initially those with high ionizable phenolic hydroxyl and low carbohydrate contents, and carbonyl-containing moieties. NMR and UV spectroscopic analysis show that products formed include lignin and carbohydrate-containing species. The lignin-originating products from the later stages contain a lower relative concentration of ionizable phenolic groups and more visible-absorbing and carbohydrate-containing species. Brightness and b gains during multistage brightening were exponential with product yield.     

Oxidative cracking of precipitated hardwood lignin by hydrogen peroxide

Precipitated hardwood lignin (PHL) is a major byproduct in the biomassto-ethanol process. Oxidativecracking of PHL by hydrogen peroxide in aqueous medium was investigated as a means to produce potentially useful chemicals. The cracking reaction takes place at moderate temperatures (80–160°C), giving mono-and dicarboxylic acids as the main products. The yields of these products are in the range of 30–50% of initial lignin. The reaction mechanism and the product distribution are dependent upon the reaction conditions, especially the pH. The reaction under strong alkaline condition proceeds well even at low reaction temperatures (80–90°C). Under acidic conditions, higher temperatures (130–160°C) are required to attain the same degrees of cracking. The reaction patterns of the oxidative cracking reaction involve the cleavage of lignin ring, aryl ether bond, or other linkages within lignin. By using the findings of this investigation and those of previous work, we have illustrated the reaction pathways for degradation of PHL under alkaline and acidic conditions. Aldehydes and aromatic acids are interm ediate products in the oxidative degradation of lignin. However, they were produced only in trace amounts owing to rapid degradation induced by hydrogen peroxide. Presented at the 21st Symposium on Biotechnology for Fuels and Chemicals, Fort Collins, CO, May 1999.     

Peroxidase immobilized on Amberlite IRA-743 resin for on-line spectrophotometric detection of hydrogen peroxide in rainwater

The importance of atmospheric hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in the oxidation of SO₂ and other compounds has been well established. A spectrophotometric method for the determination of hydrogen peroxide in rainwater is proposed. This method is based on selective oxidation of hydrogen peroxide using an on-line tubular reactor containing peroxidase immobilized on Amberlite IRA-743 resin. The hydrogen peroxide in the presence of phenol, 4-aminoantipyrine and peroxidase, produces a red compound (λ = 505 nm). Beer's law is obeyed in a concentration range of 1–100 μmol l⁻¹ hydrogen peroxide with an excellent correlation coefficient (r = 0.9991), at pH 7.0, with a relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) <2%. The detection limit of the method is 0.7 μmol l⁻¹ (4.8 ng of H₂O₂ in a 200 μl sample). Measurements of hydrogen peroxide in rain samples were carried out over the period from November 2003 to January 2005, in the central area of the Juiz de Fora city, Brazil. The concentration of H₂O₂ varied from values lower than the detection limit to 92.5 μmol l⁻¹. The effects of the presence of nonseasalt (NSS) SO₄²⁻, NO₃⁻ and H⁺ in the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the rainwater had been evaluated. The average concentrations of H₂O₂, NO₃⁻, NSS SO₄²⁻ and SO₄²⁻ are 23.4, 18.9, 7.9 and 10.3 μmol l⁻¹, respectively. The pH values for 82% of the collected samples are greater than 5.0. The spectrophotometeric method developed in this work that uses enzyme immobilized on the resin ion-exchange compared with the amperometric method did not present any significant difference in the results.     

A MEMS methanol reformer heated by decomposition of hydrogen peroxide

This paper presents the design, fabrication and evaluation of a micro methanol reformer complete with a heat source. The micro system consists of the steam reforming reactor of methanol, the catalytic decomposition reactor of hydrogen peroxide, and a heat exchanger between the two reactors. In the present study, catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide is used as a process to supply heat to the reforming reactor. The decomposition process of hydrogen peroxide produces water vapor and oxygen as a product that can be used efficiently to operate the reformer/PEMFC system. Cu/ZnO was selected as a catalyst for methanol steam reforming and Pt for the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. Incipient wetness method was used to load catalysts on a porous support. Catalyst loaded supports were inserted in the cavity made on the glass wafer. The performance of the methanol steam reforming system was measured at various test conditions and the optimum operation condition was sought. At the optimum condition, the hydrogen selectivity was 86.4% and the thermal efficiency was 44.8%. The product gas included 74.1% H(2), 24.5% CO(2) and 1.4% CO and the total volume production rate was 23.5 ml min(-1). This amount of hydrogen can produce 1.5 W of power on a typical PEMFC.