Temperature and pH effects on the kinetics of 2-aminophenol auto-oxidation in aqueous solution

The kinetics of the auto-oxidation of 2-aminophenol (OAP) to 2-amino-phenoxazin-3-one (APX) was followed in air-saturated aqueous solutions and the influence of temperature and pH on the auto-oxidation rate was studied. The kinetic analysis was based on a spectrophotometric method following the increase of the absorbance of APX. The process follows first order kinetics according to the rate law—d[OAP]/dt=k′[OAP]. The experimental data, within the pH range 4–9.85, were analyzed using both differential and incremental methods. The temperature variation of the overall rate constant was studied at pH=9.85 within the range 25–50°C and the corresponding activation energy was evaluated.