Iridium(III) Catalyzed Oxidation of Propane-1,2-diol by Hexacyanoferrate(III) in Aqueous Alkaline Medium: A Kinetic and Mechanistic Study

Abstract

Kinetics and mechanism of oxidation of propane-1,2-diol by hexacyanoferrate(III) in aqueous alkaline medium catalyzed by iridium(III) chloride has been studied at constant ionic strength (KCl) and temperature. The reaction follows first order kinetics with respect to hexacyanoferrate(III), [OH^–] and organic substrate at lower concentrations, but at higher concentrations it follows zero order kinetics. The effect of variation of iridium(III) chloride shows first order kinetics even up to its manifold variation. A probable reaction mechanism is proposed assuming that the reaction proceeds through complex formation.