Mécanisme des réactions du chlorite et du dioxyde de chlore. 1. Stoechiométrie des réactions du chlorite et cinétique en présence d'ortho-tolidine
The relative amount of chlorine dioxide produced by the disproportionation of sodium chlorite increases as the concentrations of chlorite and chloride ions increase. It passes through a minimum when the concentration of perchloric acid varies from 2 M to 0.01 M. The fast reaction between chlorite and hypochlorous acid is a part of the mechanism of this disproportionation and its stoichiometry was also investigated. The relative amount of chlorine dioxide produced depends on the method of mixing the reactants and on the acidity. It increases if the concentration of chlorite increases and can exceed the amount predicted by:[Formula: see text]Ortho-tolidine reacts very rapidly with chlorine and with chlorine dioxide but not with chlorous acid. In perchloric acid solutions (pH < 2.5) the product of its oxidation has a considerable absorption with a maximum at 440 nm (ε = 59700 M−1 cm−1). Chlorine reacts more rapidly with ortho-tolidine than with chlorous acid. The kinetic investigation of the disproportionation of chlorous acid is thus simplified by the use of ortho-tolidine. With added chloride ions the rate determining step is HClO2 + Cl− + H+ → 2HClO with a rate constant[Formula: see text]The most reliable values for the free enthalpy of formation of oxychlorine compounds are selected from the literature.