Microscale Environmental Chemistry, Part 2: Effect of Hydrogen Peroxide in the Presence of Iron (II) (Fenton Reagent) and Other Conditions upon an Organic Pollutant

TCE

The Chemical Educator

ISSN: 1430-4171 (electronic version)

Table of Contents

Abstract Volume 8 Issue 1 (2003) pp 47-50

Microscale Environmental Chemistry, Part 2: Effect of Hydrogen Peroxide in the Presence of Iron (II) (Fenton Reagent) and Other Conditions upon an Organic Pollutant

Jorge G. Ibanez,^†,* Margarita Hernandez-Esparza,^† Iraida Valdovinos-Rodriguez,^† Maria Lozano-Cusi,^† Adolfo de Pablos-Miranda^‡

^†Centro Mexicano de Quimica en Microescala, Depto. Ciencias, Universidad Iberoamericana. Prolongacion Reforma 880, 01210 Mexico, D.F. Mexico and ^‡Institut Quimic de Sarria, Via Augusta #390, E-08017 Barcelona, Spain, *jorge.ibanez@uia.mx
Received July 30, 2002. Accepted September 11, 2002

Published online: 6 December 2002

Abstract. Organic pollutants and hazardous wastes can be converted into innocuous species like CO₂ and H₂O upon oxidation by hydrogen peroxide under certain conditions. The mixture of Fe²⁺ + H₂O₂(Fenton’s reagent) is highly oxidizing and so is H₂O₂ when used in conjunction with UV light. In the experiment described here, students taking introductory environmental chemistry will be able to observe the attack on a surrogate pollutant (e.g., the organic dye rhodamine B) by comparing the effect of the following: Fe²⁺ alone, H₂O₂ alone, H₂O₂ + Mn2+, H₂O₂ + Fe²⁺ (Fenton’s reagent), sunlight,and H₂O₂ + sunlight.

Key Words: In the Classroom; general chemistry; environmental chemistry; analytic chemistry;

(*) Corresponding author. (E-mail: jorge.ibanez@uia.mx)

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