The Chemical EducatorISSN: 1430-4171 (electronic version) Abstract Volume 6
Issue 3 (2001) pp 172-179 Visualizing Redox Chemistry: Probing Environmental Oxidation–Reduction Reactions with Indicator DyesPaul G. Tratnyek,*,† Thea E. Reilkoff,† Anthony W. Lemon,† Michelle M. Scherer,† Barbara A. Balko,§ Linda M. Feik,** and Brad D. Henegar†† Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Oregon Graduate
Institute of Science & Technology†, Portland, OR 97291,
tratnyek@ese.ogi.edu, Department of Chemistry, Lewis & Clark College§,
Portland, OR 97219, Westview High School**, Portland, OR, and
Banks High School††, Banks, OR Published online: 27 April 2001 Abstract. One of the
important questions in the chemistry of pollutant degradation is the identity
and distribution of chemical agents that are responsible for reduction
reactions in the environment. Reduction occurs primarily in water-saturated
environments, such as sediments, soils, and sludges. Redox indicators
can be used (i) as chemical probes to obtain fundamental insights into
biogeochemical processes and (ii) as the basis for demonstrations suitable
for teaching aspects of environmental chemistry. This paper explores the
latter with examples that involve a variety of indicators (indigo sulfonates,
resazurin, etc.), environmental media (anaerobic sediments and granular
iron metal), and physico-chemical processes (oxidation–reduction, adsorption,
and diffusion). The results show that reduction by either media (sediments
or iron metal) is primarily, although not always entirely, a surface reaction.
This situation results in indicator behavior that is interesting and challenging
for students with a wide range of backgrounds.
Key Words: Laboratories and Demonstrations; environmental chemistry; redox reactions; UV-vis spectroscopy; indicator dyes; kinetics (*) Corresponding author. (E-mail: tratnyek@ese.ogi.edu) Article in PDF format (687 KB) HTML format Issue date: June 1, 2001 |