Kinetics of the oxidation of diphenyl sulfide with hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by sodium metavanadate
The oxidation of diphenyl sulfide (Ph2S) by hydrogen peroxide in the presence of a catalytic amount of sodium metavanadate (NaVO3) has been studied kinetically by means of iodometry of hydrogen peroxide. The reaction rate is expressed as: v = k[NaVO3]st[Ph2S]2, when the concentration of catalyst is very low and [Ph2S]0/[H2O2]0 > 2, where []st and []0 mean stoichiometric and initial concentration, respectively. The effective oxidant may consist of polymeric as well as monomeric peroxyvanadate in view of the effect of concentration of catalyst on the rate. The main oxidizing species at low concentration of catalyst seems to be diperoxyvanadate VO5−. The rate constant k2 in v = k2[Ph2S]2 tends to decrease with initial concentration of H2O2, which is present in excess of the catalyst. A probable mechanism for the oxidation is discussed.