Photochemical reductive dissolution overall rate constant

The kinetics of the photochemical reductive dissolution of lepidocrocite (y-FeOOH) with oxalate as the reductant depends strongly on pH both the rate and the overall rate constant, k> decrease with increasing pH. This behavior means that the pH dependence of the rate does not simply reflect the pH dependence of oxalate adsorption at the lepidocrocite surface. Between pH 3 and 5, the log k() values can be fitted with a straight line. The dependence of k on the concentration of surface protons, >FeOH2+, can be estimated from the slope of this line and from the protonation curve of lepidocrocite k0 >FeOHf I6. The value of 1.6, which can be considered only a rough estimate, is not too different from the theoretically expected value of 2 for the proton-catalyzed detachment of reduced surface iron centers (i.e., of surface metal centers with the formal oxidation state of II). 

To calculate the overall rate constants of the photochemical reductive dissolution of lepidocrocite, we experimentally determined the surface con-... 

According to equation 1, the overall rate constant is the rate of the photochemical reductive dissolution of lepidocrocite divided by the surface concentration of oxalate. The overall rate constant as a function of pH is shown in Figure 4. The three experimental points between pH 3 and 5 can be fitted reasonably well with a straight line ... 

Under our experimental conditions, the overall rate constant of the photochemical reductive dissolution of lepidocrocite in the presence of oxalate is pH-dependent. Thus, the pH dependence of the rate reflects more than the pH dependence of oxalate adsorption at the lepidocrocite surface. Various pH effects may account for this observed pH dependence of ka. One possibility is catalysis of detachment of the reduced surface iron centers by protonation of their neighboring hydroxo and oxo groups. The following question then arises How does the observed rate constant, ka, depend on surface protonation The general rate expression of the proton-catalyzed dissolution of oxide... 

Figure 4. Overall rate constant of the photochemical reductive dissolution of lepidocrocite with oxalate as the reductant, as a function of pH.

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