Kinetics and mechanism of oxidation of some aldoses by hexacyanoferrate(III) ions in aqueous alkaline buffered medium

Department of Chemistry, Kanya Gurukul Mahavidyalaya, Gurukul Kangri University, Jwalapur, Hardwar-249 407,

Uttarakhand, India

Manuscript received 16 May 2007, revised 7 December 2007, accepted 7 December 2007

Kinetics of oxidation of some aldoses like glucose, galactose, xylose and ribose by hexacyanoferrate(III) ions in aqueous alkaline buffered medium has been investigated. The kinetic results indicate the zero-order kinetics in hexacyanoferrate(III) and first-order in aldoses and OH^-. The ionic strength of the medium has no influence on oxidation rate. Various activation parameters were also calculated at four different temperatures : 30, 35, 40 and 45 °C. The corresponding acids were identified as the main oxidation products of the reaction. A suitable mechanism consistent with experimental findings has been proposed.