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The IO₃⁻/I₂ Catalyzed Decomposition of H₂O₂

  • Page ID
    3079
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    Chemical Concept Demonstrated

    • Catalytic decomposition

    Demonstration

    The beaker contains the following solutions:
    • Starch Solution
    • Solution A: KIO3 and H2SO4 dissolved in water.
    • Solution B: malonic acid and MnSO4 dissolved in water.
    • Solution C: 30% H2O2 dissolved in water.
    beaker.gif

    Observations

    The color sequence goes from deep blue to colorless to yellow to gold to brown to deep blue again.

    Explanation (including important chemical equations)

    The first primary step in this reaction is the oxidation of hydrogen peroxide by iodic acid:

    5 H2O2 (aq) + 2 HIO3 (aq) --> 5 O2 (g) + I2 (aq) + 6 H2O (l)

    The second step is the oxidation of of iodine by hydrogen peroxide:

    5 H2O2 (aq) + I2 (aq) --> 2 HIO3 (aq) + 4 H2O (l)

    The overall result is a decomposition of H2O2 into H2O and O2. The higher the initial concentrations, the shorter the induction period.

    Contributors


    The IO₃⁻/I₂ Catalyzed Decomposition of H₂O₂ is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by George Bodner.

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