Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Sodium ascorbate/ascorbic acid as a reducing agent

jhonn - 31-12-2012 at 10:43

I want to remove chlorate impurities from a perchlorate solution.I know this can be done with sodium sulfite or sulfur dioxide.But i want to know if this can be done with ascorbic acid/sodium ascorbate.Iknow that ascorbate is not a strong reducing agent, but what if i leave it in an air free container for long periods of time?I'll enjoy any information about this subject.

And sorry for posting this on the wrong section, i intended to post it on general chemistry.

[Edited on 31-12-2012 by jhonn]

Swede - 4-1-2013 at 09:12

Why not give it a try on a small scale? If you have the appropriate qualitative testing reagents for chlorate, testing your solution at periodic intervals will show if there is activity.

I've used potassium metabisulfite to successfully clean chlorates from a saturated perchlorate solution, but applying it so as to not require large amounts of the metabisulfite is a bit tricky, as the SO2 gas is what does the job, and it bubbles off rapidly.

Just how "clean" does your perchlorate need to be? The U.S. military specification for potassium perchlorate, as a pyrotechnic oxidizer, allows a surprising amount of chlorate, and still be acceptable. If you need the perchlorate for some other chemistry purpose, then obviously, you'll need to get the levels down lower than the mil spec.

AndersHoveland - 5-1-2013 at 01:40

Hydrochloric acid will also react with chlorate, while leaving the perchlorate alone. Of course, you will then have to fractionally crystallize out the perchlorate again, to separate it from the chloride.