Abstract: | The kinetics of oxidation of indole‐3‐acetic acid (IAA) by peroxodisulfate (PDS) has been carried out in aqueous acetic acid medium. First‐order dependence of rate each with respect to [IAA] and [PDS] was observed. The reaction rate was unaffected by added [H+]. Increase of percentage of acetic acid decreased the rate. Variation of ionic strength (μ) had negligible influence on the rate. A suitable kinetic scheme based on these observations involving a nonradical mechanism is proposed. The reactivity of peroxodisulfate toward indole‐3‐acetic acid was found to be lower than that with peroxomonosulfate. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 37: 355–360, 2005 |