Oxidising agent

Cerium(iv).—The reactions with trisoxalatochromate(iii) and trisoxalato-rhodate(iii) have been investigated in aqueous sulphuric acid, the stepwise oxidation of the co-ordinated oxalate yielding the bisoxalato species. The 

The rate behaviour suggests that although the activated complexes for the initial reactions are similar they are not identical, the suggested mechanism being 

The iodide-catalysed reaction with arsenic(m) has been studied in sulphuric acid and the oxidation of antimony(m) in perchlorate medium. In the latter investigation, the reaction 

Tockstein and M. Matusek, Coll. Czech. Chem. Comm., 1969, 34, 27. 

---

Thus an oxidising agent is identified as an electron acceptor and the oxidation of iron(II) by chlorine can be written as two "half equations, viz. 

Thus, the reducing agent causes reduction to take place, i.e. causes a reduction in the positive charge it must therefore supply electrons. It follows immediately that the oxidising agent must accept electrons. 

Oxidation states can be used to establish the stoichiometry for an equation. Consider the reaction between the manganate(VII) (permanganate) and ethanedioate (oxalate) ions in acidic solution. Under these conditions the MnO faq) ion acts as an oxidising agent and it is reduced to Mn (aq), i.e. 

Identify the oxidising agent and the reducing agent in each reaction and write half-equations showing the donation or acceptance of electrons by each of these eight reagents. 

Dilute acids have no effect on any form of carbon, and diamond is resistant to attack by concentrated acids at room temperature, but is oxidised by both concentrated sulphuric and concentrated nitric acid at about 500 K, when an additional oxidising agent is present. Carbon dioxide is produced and the acids are reduced to gaseous oxides ... 

Graphite reacts rather differently with mixtures of oxidising agents and concentrated oxoacids. A graphite oxide is formed the graphite... 

Amorphous carbon, having a far greater effective surface area than either diamond or graphite, is the most reactive form of carbon. It reacts with both hot concentrated sulphuric and hot concentrated nitric acids in the absence of additional oxidising agents but is not attacked by hydrochloric acid. 

Concentrated nitric acid, however, is an oxidising agent and tin reacts to give hydrated tin(IV) oxide in a partly precipitated, partly colloidal form, together with a small amount of tin(II) nitrate, Sn(N03)2 ... 

Concentrated sulphuric acid and nitric acid—powerful oxidising agents—attack all the elements except nitrogen, particularly when the acids are warm. The products obtained reflect changes in stability of the oxidation states V and III of the Group V elements. 

If the acid of the ammonium salt is an oxidising agent, then on heating the salt, mutual oxidation and reduction occurs. The oxidation products can be nitrogen or one of its oxides and the reactions can be explosive, for example ... 

H—N—N=N. It is prepared by the oxidation of hydrazine in strongly acid solution the oxidising agent used is usually nitrous acid (i.e. sodium nitrite is added to the acid solution of hydrazine) ... 

Strong oxidising agents such as acidified potassium manganate(VII) oxidise NOj to the nitrate ion ... 

Unlike phosphorus pentoxide, this oxide cannot be made directly. Arsenic(V) acid, H3ASO4 (strictly, tetraoxoarsenic acid), is first prepared by oxidising arsenic(III) oxide with concentrated nitric acid or some other strong oxidising agent ... 

Antimony(V) oxide can be prepared by treating antimony with concentrated nitric acid. It is an oxidising agent and when gently heated loses oxygen to form the trioxide. (The change in oxidation state stability shown by antimony should be noted since it corresponds to increasing metallic character.)... 

Powerful oxidising agents, for example Cv20Y and MnO ions, oxidise the arsenate(III) ion to arsenate(V). The reaction with iodine, however, is reversible depending on the conditions ... 

Arsenates(V) are more powerful oxidising agents than phos-phates(V) and will oxidise sulphite to sulphate, hydrogen sulphide (slowly) to sulphur and, depending on the conditions, iodide to iodine. 

The trihalides closely resemble those of antimony. Bismuth(V) fluoride is known. It is a white solid, and a powerful oxidising agent. 

Ozone is very much more reactive than oxygen and is a powerful oxidising agent especially in acid solution (the redox potential varies with conditions but can be as high as + 2.0 V). Some examples are 1. the conversion of black lead(ll) sulphide to white lead(II) sulphate (an example of oxidation by addition of oxygen) ... 

These elements are generally unaffected by non-oxidising acids (behaviour expected for non-metallic elements) but they do react when heated with concentrated sulphuric and nitric acids, both powerful oxidising agents. Sulphur is oxidised to sulphur dioxide by hot concentrated sulphuric acid,... 

The following reactions are examples of hydrogen peroxide used as an oxidising agent ... 

As the above redox potentials indicate, only in the presence of very powerful oxidising agents does hydrogen peroxide behave as a reducing agent. For example ... 

Sulphites react with oxidising agents, for example mangan-ate(VII) and dichromate(VI) ... 

In the presence of strong reducing agents the sulphite ion acts as an oxidising agent some examples are ... 

Concentrated sulphuric acid is an oxidising agent, particularly when hot, but the oxidising power of sulphuric acid decreases rapidly with dilution. The hot concentrated acid will oxidise non-metals, for example carbon, sulphur and phosphorous to give, respectively, carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and phosphoric(V) acid. It also oxidises many metals to give their sulphates cast iron, however, is not affected. The mechanisms of these reactions are complex and the acid gives a number of reduction products. 

Tellurium trioxide, TeOa, is an orange yellow powder made by thermal decomposition of telluric(VI) acid Te(OH)g. It is a strong oxidising agent which will, like H2Se04, oxidise hydrogen chloride to chlorine. It dissolves in hot water to give telluric(VI) acid. This is a weak acid and quite different from sulphuric and selenic acids. Two series of salts are known. 

The presence of chloric(I) acid makes the properties of chlorine water different from those of gaseous chlorine, just as aqueous sulphur dioxide is very different from the gas. Chloric(I) acid is a strong oxidising agent, and in acid solution will even oxidise sulphur to sulphuric acid however, the concentration of free chloric(I) acid in chlorine water is often low and oxidation reactions are not always complete. Nevertheless when chlorine bleaches moist litmus, it is the chloric(I) acid which is formed that produces the bleaching. The reaction of chlorine gas with aqueous bromide or iodide ions which causes displacement of bromine or iodine (see below) may also involve the reaction... 

Iodine has the lowest standard electrode potential of any of the common halogens (E = +0.54 V) and is consequently the least powerful oxidising agent. Indeed, the iodide ion can be oxidised to iodine by many reagents including air which will oxidise an acidified solution of iodide ions. However, iodine will oxidise arsenate(lll) to arsenate(V) in alkaline solution (the presence of sodium carbonate makes the solution sufficiently alkaline) but the reaction is reversible, for example by removal of iodine. 

It is a gas at room temperature with a boiling point of 128 K. It is a strong oxidising agent, some reactions occurring with explosive violence. Water hydrolyses it slowly at room temperature, but the reaction evolving oxygen is rapid in the presence of a base, and explosive with steam ... 

Liquid chlorine dioxide, ClOj, boils at 284 K to give an orange-yellow gas. A very reactive compound, it decomposes readily and violently into its constituents. It is a powerful oxidising agent which has recently found favour as a commercial oxidising agent and as a bleach for wood pulp and flour. In addition, it is used in water sterilisation where, unlike chlorine, it does not produce an unpleasant taste. It is produced when potassium chlorate(V) is treated with concentrated sulphuric acid, the reaction being essentially a disproportionation of chloric(V) acid ... 

As the equation indicates, it is the anhydride of iodic-acid(V), which is re-formed when water is added to the pentoxide. Mixed with concentrated sulphuric acid and silica, it is a quantitative oxidising agent for carbon monoxide at room temperature ... 

---