Mechanism of the oxidative cleavage of diethylene glycol by bromate in acid medium

Biswajit Pal

Abstract

The oxidative cleavage of diethylene glycol by bromate ion has been studied in hydrochloric acid medium in the temperature range 298-313 K. The rate of the reaction is dependent on the first power of the concentration of diethylene glycol and bromate ion. The reaction rate increases with increase in H+ concentration in the range (0.1 - 1.0) mol dm-3 and reaction is first order with respect to [H+]. The reaction has been shown to occur with the formation of an unstable bromate ester which decomposes to the reaction product in one step two-electron transfer process. Formaldehyde has been identified as the oxidation product of diethylene glycol. The activation parameters of the oxidative cleavage of diethylene glycol have been evaluated.