Abstract
The kinetics of oxidation of the antibiotic drug chloramphenicol (CHP) by hexacyanoferrate(III) (HCF) has been investigated spectrophotometrically both in the absence and presence of ruthenium(III) catalyst in aqueous alkaline medium at 25 °C and at constant ionic strength of 1.10 mol dm-3. The stoichiometry is identical in both cases, i.e. [CHP]/[HCF] = 1:2. The oxidation products were identified by TLC and spectral studies such as GC-MS, IR, and 1H NMR. In both catalyzed and uncatalyzed reactions, the order with respect to the concentration of HCF is unity, whereas the order with respect to the concentration of CHP and the concentration of OH- is less than unity over the concentration range studied. The order with respect to the concentration of Ru(III) is unity. The reaction in the presence of Ru(III) is approximately tenfold faster than the uncatalyzed reaction. The active species of oxidant and catalyst are [Fe(CN)6]3- and [Ru(H2O)5(OH)]2+, respectively. On the basis of experimental results suitable mechanisms are proposed. The reaction constants involved in the different steps of the reaction mechanisms were calculated for both cases. The catalytic constant was also calculated for the catalyzed reaction at different temperatures. The activation parameters with respect to the slow step of the mechanism and thermodynamic quantities are also determined.