Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Peroxalic acid

Hunterman2244 - 7-7-2018 at 21:09

Based on the info I have found on peroxalic acid, it seems to be a very interesting compound. Most of what I have seen is archives of a thread on The Hive. Has anybody tried making it or have any more info on it?

symboom - 7-7-2018 at 23:36

I see what you mean it is interesting i didnt think diperoxalic acid is possible due to thw nature of both hydrogen peroxide and oxalic acid


Diperoxalic Acid

When oxalyl chloride (Prepared according to Staudinger, Ber., 41, 3563 (1908)) was treated at 0°C with an ice-sodium peroxide mixture, it was hoped to obtain a carbon peroxide, C2O4, or one of its polymers. Neither one of these peroxides was obtained,

but instead a small yield of diperoxalic acid. A higher yield of this diperacid was obtained by the following, somewhat different,
procedure: To a solution of 19 g. of dry pyridine, 285 mL of anhydrous ether containing 4g. of hydrogen peroxide and maintained at -20°C, was added, dropwise in the course of two hours and with vigorous stirring, a precooled (-10°C) solution of 75 mL of anhydrous ether containing 14.3g of oxalyl chloride. At the end of the reaction, the ether layer was decanted and the solid precipitate, which had separated out, extracted with two 100 mL portions of anhydrous ether. Nope dont trust that procedure ether and hydrogen peroxide

The residue was then treated with an ice-cold mixture of 60 mL of saturated sodium sulfate solution and 40 mL of 85% orthophosphoric acid. The resulting mixture, after adding more solid sodium sulfate, was extracted with three 100 mL portions of acetone which was combined with an equal volume of ether and the mixture dried and filtered. When the solvent was removed under reduced pressure, a highly viscous residue (2.2 g.) remained which failed to crystallize on standing for some time at 0°C. This product was free from chlorine and nitrogenous products, and was found to be very soluble in water and chloroform. Diperoxalic acid is a powerful oxidizing agent, and, when treated with potassium iodide, it is reduced rapidly to oxalic acid

Metacelsus - 8-7-2018 at 04:33

Dioxetanedione, formed by reaction of oxalate esters or oxalyl chloride and hydrogen peroxide, will rapidly decompose to two (excited) CO2 molecules. This reaction is used in glow-sticks.

Hunterman2244 - 8-7-2018 at 06:00

Quote: Originally posted by symboom  
I see what you mean it is interesting i didnt think diperoxalic acid is possible due to thw nature of both hydrogen peroxide and oxalic acid

How about monoperoxalic acid as well? (US4924017A - Stannic acid anhydride, US2873283A - Chang-tsing yang)

Hunterman2244 - 19-7-2018 at 23:45

Salts? https://books.google.com/books?id=yR_OAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA21&a...

Hunterman2244 - 1-8-2018 at 17:14

Reaction with calcium hydroxide should yield calcium peroxalate which should precipitate.

Σldritch - 2-8-2018 at 03:27

Peracids are not nearly as acidic and oxalic is not especially acidic to begin with. The salts in the book are probably monoperoxyoxalic acid salts where the normal carboxylic acid end is predominantly deprotonated. I doubt that it would be very insoluble nor very stable because in my experience peroxides do not like basic conditions with water. (Also see Pourbaix diagrams - higher pH - less stable oxidizers).