IChO 1976 · Theory problem 1

Peroxo compounds

1.1 Explain by means of generally used international symbols and formulas which compounds are named as peroxo compounds. Write summary formulas for six of them.

1.2 Write chemical equations for two methods of quantitative determination of the content of peroxide in calcium(II) peroxide.

1.3 By means of chemical equations express the following chemical reactions:

a) \(\ce{[Cr(H2O)6]Cl3}\) dissolved in water, is mixed with an excess of sodium hydroxide solution. A clear green solution is formed. The colour of the solution changes to yellow when an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution is added.

b) If an aqueous solution of a violet manganese compound is mixed with a hydrogen peroxide solution, the resulting solution is decolourised and a gas is released from it.

Official English text of the problem.

Answers

  • 1.1 Peroxo compounds contain an oxygen–oxygen single-bonded peroxide group, formally \(\ce{O2^2-}\), with oxygen in oxidation state \(-1\). Six examples are \(\ce{H2O2}\), \(\ce{Na2O2}\), \(\ce{CaO2}\), \(\ce{BaO2}\), \(\ce{H2SO5}\), and \(\ce{H2S2O8}\). Their names and SMILES are given below.

  • 1.2 Release hydrogen peroxide by acidification: \[ \ce{CaO2 + 2H+ -> Ca^2+ + H2O2}. \] Determine it by permanganometry: \[ \ce{2MnO4- + 5H2O2 + 6H+ -> 2Mn^2+ + 5O2 + 8H2O}, \] or by iodometry, followed by thiosulfate titration: \[ \ce{H2O2 + 2I- + 2H+ -> I2 + 2H2O}, \] \[ \ce{I2 + 2S2O3^2- -> 2I- + S4O6^2-}. \]

  • 1.3(a) Using hexahydroxidochromate(III) to represent the dissolved green chromium(III) species: \[ \ce{[Cr(H2O)6]^3+ + 6OH- -> [Cr(OH)6]^3- + 6H2O}, \] \[ \ce{2[Cr(OH)6]^3- + 3H2O2 -> 2CrO4^2- + 2OH- + 8H2O}. \] The yellow product is chromate(VI).

  • 1.3(b) The violet species is permanganate. In an acidic medium, hydrogen peroxide reduces it to nearly colourless manganese(II), releasing dioxygen: \[ \ce{2MnO4- + 5H2O2 + 6H+ -> 2Mn^2+ + 5O2 ^ + 8H2O}. \]

Solution

1.1 — Meaning and examples of peroxo compounds

The defining structural feature is an oxygen–oxygen single bond belonging to a peroxide group. In the peroxide ion, \(\ce{O2^2-}\), SMILES [O-][O-], each oxygen has oxidation state \(-1\). The same oxidation state occurs for the two peroxide oxygens in hydrogen peroxide and in covalently bound peroxo groups.

Thus, peroxo compounds include both ionic peroxides and molecular compounds containing a peroxide linkage.

Compound Summary formula SMILES
Hydrogen peroxide \(\ce{H2O2}\) OO
Sodium peroxide \(\ce{Na2O2}\) [Na+].[Na+].[O-][O-]
Calcium(II) peroxide \(\ce{CaO2}\) [Ca+2].[O-][O-]
Barium(II) peroxide \(\ce{BaO2}\) [Ba+2].[O-][O-]
Peroxomonosulfuric acid \(\ce{H2SO5}\) OOS(=O)(=O)O
Peroxodisulfuric acid \(\ce{H2S2O8}\) OS(=O)(=O)OOS(=O)(=O)O

The last two structures contain, respectively, the linkages \(\ce{S-O-O-H}\) and \(\ce{S-O-O-S}\). Only their peroxide oxygens have oxidation state \(-1\); their other oxygens have oxidation state \(-2\).

For ionic solids, dot-separated SMILES specify the ions and formula-unit stoichiometry; they do not describe the crystal lattice.

1.2 — Two quantitative peroxide assays

Acid converts the peroxide group in calcium peroxide into hydrogen peroxide:

\[ \ce{CaO2 + 2H+ -> Ca^2+ + H2O2}. \]

Consequently, one mole of calcium peroxide supplies one mole of hydrogen peroxide for either assay.

Method 1: acidic permanganate titration

Hydrogen peroxide acts as a reducing agent. Its oxygen is oxidized from \(-1\) to \(0\), while manganese is reduced from \(+7\) to \(+2\).

The half-equations are

\[ \ce{H2O2 -> O2 + 2H+ + 2e-}, \]

\[ \ce{MnO4- + 8H+ + 5e- -> Mn^2+ + 4H2O}. \]

Multiplying the first by five and the second by two, then cancelling electrons and excess hydrogen ions, gives

\[ \boxed{\ce{2MnO4- + 5H2O2 + 6H+ -> 2Mn^2+ + 5O2 + 8H2O}}. \]

A standardized permanganate solution is added until a faint pink colour persists, indicating a slight excess of permanganate.

If its concentration is \(c_{\mathrm{Mn}}\) and the volume consumed is \(V_{\mathrm{Mn}}\),

\[ \boxed{n_{\mathrm{peroxide}}=\frac{5}{2}c_{\mathrm{Mn}}V_{\mathrm{Mn}}}. \]

Method 2: iodometry

Here hydrogen peroxide acts as an oxidizing agent. In acid solution it oxidizes iodide to iodine:

\[ \boxed{\ce{H2O2 + 2I- + 2H+ -> I2 + 2H2O}}. \]

The liberated iodine is titrated with standardized thiosulfate solution:

\[ \boxed{\ce{I2 + 2S2O3^2- -> 2I- + S4O6^2-}}. \]

One mole of peroxide therefore liberates one mole of iodine and consumes two moles of thiosulfate. For thiosulfate concentration \(c_{\mathrm{thio}}\) and consumed volume \(V_{\mathrm{thio}}\),

\[ \boxed{n_{\mathrm{peroxide}}=\frac{1}{2}c_{\mathrm{thio}}V_{\mathrm{thio}}}. \]

In both expressions, using \(c\) in \(\mathrm{mol\,L^{-1}}\) and \(V\) in \(\mathrm{L}\) gives the peroxide amount in \(\mathrm{mol}\). No numerical titration data are supplied.

The additional molecular and ionic species used in these assays are:

Species Name SMILES
\(\ce{H+}\) Hydrogen ion, proton [H+]
\(\ce{Ca^2+}\) Calcium(II) ion [Ca+2]
\(\ce{H2O}\) Water O
\(\ce{O2}\) Dioxygen O=O
\(\ce{MnO4-}\) Permanganate ion [O-][Mn](=O)(=O)=O
\(\ce{Mn^2+}\) Manganese(II) ion [Mn+2]
\(\ce{I-}\) Iodide ion [I-]
\(\ce{I2}\) Iodine II
\(\ce{S2O3^2-}\) Thiosulfate ion [O-]S(=O)(=O)[S-]
\(\ce{S4O6^2-}\) Tetrathionate ion [O-]S(=O)(=O)SSS(=O)(=O)[O-]

Permanganate is tetrahedral. Its SMILES gives one formal bonding representation, without describing resonance delocalization. The dioxygen SMILES does not encode its triplet ground state.

1.3(a) — Chromium(III) in excess alkali, followed by oxidation

The starting salt supplies the hexaaquachromium(III) ion. Addition of hydroxide first produces chromium(III) hydroxide:

\[ \ce{[Cr(H2O)6]^3+ + 3OH- -> Cr(OH)3(s) + 6H2O}. \]

Chromium(III) hydroxide is amphoteric. In excess hydroxide it dissolves to form a green hydroxo complex, conventionally represented here as hexahydroxidochromate(III):

\[ \ce{Cr(OH)3(s) + 3OH- -> [Cr(OH)6]^3-}. \]

Adding these equations gives

\[ \boxed{\ce{[Cr(H2O)6]^3+ + 6OH- -> [Cr(OH)6]^3- + 6H2O}}. \]

Hydrogen peroxide then oxidizes chromium from \(+3\) to \(+6\). In alkaline solution the chromium(VI) product is yellow chromate.

The oxidation half-equation is

\[ \ce{[Cr(OH)6]^3- + 2OH- -> CrO4^2- + 4H2O + 3e-}, \]

and the peroxide reduction half-equation is

\[ \ce{H2O2 + 2e- -> 2OH-}. \]

Two chromium centres release six electrons, which are accepted by three hydrogen peroxide molecules. Combining the half-equations gives

\[ \boxed{\ce{2[Cr(OH)6]^3- + 3H2O2 -> 2CrO4^2- + 2OH- + 8H2O}}. \]

The green-to-yellow change therefore indicates oxidation of chromium(III) to chromium(VI).

Species Name SMILES
\(\ce{OH-}\) Hydroxide ion [OH-]
\(\ce{[Cr(H2O)6]^3+}\) Hexaaquachromium(III) ion [Cr+3](<-[OH2])(<-[OH2])(<-[OH2])(<-[OH2])(<-[OH2])<-[OH2]
\(\ce{Cr(OH)3}\) Chromium(III) hydroxide [Cr+3].[OH-].[OH-].[OH-]
\(\ce{[Cr(OH)6]^3-}\) Hexahydroxidochromate(III) ion [Cr+3](<-[OH-])(<-[OH-])(<-[OH-])(<-[OH-])(<-[OH-])<-[OH-]
\(\ce{CrO4^2-}\) Chromate(VI) ion [O-][Cr](=O)(=O)[O-]

The donor-arrow SMILES describe oxygen-to-chromium coordination. Both six-coordinate chromium(III) complexes are represented as octahedral; chromate is tetrahedral. The disconnected chromium hydroxide SMILES is a stoichiometric representation of the solid, not a discrete molecular structure.

1.3(b) — Reduction of permanganate by hydrogen peroxide

The characteristic violet colour identifies the permanganate ion, \(\ce{MnO4-}\). Its reduction to dilute, nearly colourless manganese(II) accounts for the decolourisation.

Hydrogen peroxide is the reducing agent and is oxidized to dioxygen, explaining the gas evolution. The half-equations are the same as those used in the permanganate assay in 1.2, giving

\[ \boxed{\ce{2MnO4- + 5H2O2 + 6H+ -> 2Mn^2+ + 5O2 ^ + 8H2O}}. \]

Thus, each two moles of permanganate consume five moles of hydrogen peroxide and produce five moles of dioxygen. Sufficient acidity is required for this equation to describe the stated outcome.

The solution was checked against the official solution. Where this solution differs from the official solution, the official solution contains an error or a misprint.