Kinetic study of the ruthenium(VI)-catalyzed oxidation of benzyl alcohol by alkaline hexacyanoferrate(III)

✍ Scribed by A. E. Mucientes; F. Santiago; M. C. Almena; F. J. Poblete; A. M. Rodriguez-Cervantes

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2002
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 173 KB
• Volume: 34
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0538-8066
• DOI: 10.1002/kin.10071

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The kinetics of the Ru(VI)‐catalyzed oxidation of benzyl alcohol by hexacyanoferrate(III), in an alkaline medium, has been studied using a spectrophotometric technique. The initial rates method was used for the kinetic analysis. The reaction is first order in [Ru(VI)], while the order changes from one to zero for both hexacyanoferrate(III) and benzyl alcohol upon increasing their concentrations. The rate data suggest a reaction mechanism based on a catalytic cycle in which ruthenate oxidizes the substrate through formation of an intermediate complex. This complex decomposes in a reversible step to produce ruthenium(IV), which is reoxidized by hexacyanoferrate(III) in a slow step. The theoretical rate law obtained is in complete agreement with all the experimental observations. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 34: 421–429, 2002