Kinetics and mechanism of oxidation of hydroxylamine by hexachloroiridate(IV) ion in buffer solutions

Abstract

The oxidation of hydroxylammonium ion by [IrCl6]2− ion in acetic acid – acetate buffer solutions, studied by stopped flow, has the stoichiometric ratio Δ[IrCl6]2−/Δ[NH2OH] = 1. The oxidation involves the species [IrCl6]2− and NH3OH+ although spectral analysis of the spent reaction mixture indicates [IrCl5(OH2)]2− to be the main product (almost to the extent of 80%). This anomaly arises because of the aquation of the reduced product [IrCl6]3−. The rate is retarded both by H+ and Cl− ions and the plots of [Formula: see text] against respective concentrations are linear. The proposed mechanism is given by reactions [i]–[v].[Formula: see text]The values of the rate constants at 25 °C are as follows: k1 = 147 dm3 mol−1 s−1 and 102ketKia = 2.8 s−1. The related activation parameters are [Formula: see text], and,[Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], respectively. The value of Kipd is 2.91 ± 0.03 mol dm−3 and that of Kipa (= 1/Kipd) is 0.344 ± 0.004 dm3 mol−1; both values are almost independent of temperature.