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Sodium percarbonate
Chemical compound

Sodium percarbonate or sodium carbonate peroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula 2 Na2CO3 · 3 H2O2. It is an adduct of sodium carbonate ("soda ash" or "washing soda") and hydrogen peroxide (that is, a perhydrate). It is a colorless, crystalline, hygroscopic, and water-soluble solid. It is sometimes abbreviated as SPC. It contains 32.5% by weight of hydrogen peroxide.

The product is used in some eco-friendly bleaches and other cleaning products.

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History

Sodium percarbonate was first prepared in 1899 by Ukrainian chemist Sebastian Moiseevich Tanatar (7 October 1849 – 30 November 1917).3

Structure

At room temperature, solid sodium percarbonate has the orthorhombic crystal structure, with the Cmca crystallographic space group. The structure changes to Pbca as the crystals are cooled below about −30 °C.4

Chemistry

Dissolved in water, sodium percarbonate yields a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, sodium cations (Na+), and carbonate (CO2−3).56

2 Na2CO3·3 H2O2 → 3 H2O2 + 4 Na+ + 2 CO2−3

Production

Sodium percarbonate is produced industrially by crystallization of a solution of sodium carbonate and hydrogen peroxide, with attention to the pH and concentrations.789 This method is also convenient for the laboratory preparation. Alternatively, dry sodium carbonate may be treated directly with concentrated hydrogen peroxide solution.10

World production capacity of this compound was estimated at several hundred thousand tons for 2004.11

Uses

As an oxidizing agent, sodium percarbonate is an ingredient in a number of home and laundry cleaning products, including non-chlorine bleach products such as Oxyper, OxiClean, Tide laundry detergent,12 and Vanish.13

Many commercial products mix a percentage of sodium percarbonate with sodium carbonate. The average "Oxy" product in the supermarket contains 35–40% sodium percarbonate with about 5% active oxygen when titrated.

Sodium percarbonate is also used as a cleaning agent in homebrewing.14

Sodium percarbonate can be used in organic synthesis as a convenient source of anhydrous H2O2, in particular in solvents that cannot dissolve the carbonate but can leach the H2O2 out of it.15 A method for generating trifluoroperacetic acid in situ for use in Baeyer–Villiger oxidations from sodium percarbonate and trifluoroacetic anhydride has been reported; it provides a convenient and cheap approach to this reagent without the need to obtain highly concentrated hydrogen peroxide.1617

References

  1. Craig W. Jones (1999). Applications of Hydrogen Peroxide and Derivatives. Royal Society of Chemistry. ISBN 0-85404-536-8. 0-85404-536-8 ↩

  2. Craig W. Jones (1999). Applications of Hydrogen Peroxide and Derivatives. Royal Society of Chemistry. ISBN 0-85404-536-8. 0-85404-536-8 ↩

  3. Tanatar, S. (1899). "Percarbonate". Berichte der Deutschen Chemischen Gesellschaft zu Berlin (in German). 32 (2): 1544–1546. doi:10.1002/cber.18990320233. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.cl1i1w&view=1up&seq=198&skin=2021 ↩

  4. R. G. Pritchard & E. Islam (2003). "Sodium percarbonate between 293 and 100 K". Acta Crystallographica Section B. B59 (5): 596–605. doi:10.1107/S0108768103012291. PMID 14586079. /wiki/Acta_Crystallographica_Section_B ↩

  5. Craig W. Jones (1999). Applications of Hydrogen Peroxide and Derivatives. Royal Society of Chemistry. ISBN 0-85404-536-8. 0-85404-536-8 ↩

  6. "Oxygen-based bleaches[usurped]", The Royal Society of Chemistry, and Reckitt Benckiser (the manufacturers of Vanish). https://web.archive.org/web/20120124185550/http://www.chemistryinyourcupboard.org/vanish/4 ↩

  7. J. M. Adams and R. G. Pritchard (1977): "The Crystal Structure of Sodium Percarbonate: an Unusual Layered Solid". Acta Crystallographica Section B, volume B33, issue 12, pages 3650–3653. doi:10.1107/S0567740877011790 /wiki/Doi_(identifier) ↩

  8. R. G. Pritchard & E. Islam (2003). "Sodium percarbonate between 293 and 100 K". Acta Crystallographica Section B. B59 (5): 596–605. doi:10.1107/S0108768103012291. PMID 14586079. /wiki/Acta_Crystallographica_Section_B ↩

  9. Alun P. James, Graham R. Horne, Richard Roesler, and others (1997): "Process for producing sodium percarbonate". US Patent US6231828B1, priority date 1997-03-26. https://patents.google.com/patent/US6231828 ↩

  10. Sang Ryul Kim, Chong Yun Kwag, Hwan Kee Heo, Jong-Pill Lee (1996): "Process for manufacturing granular sodium percarbonate". US Patent US5851420A, priority date 1996-02-29 https://patents.google.com/patent/US5851420 ↩

  11. Harald Jakob, Stefan Leininger, Thomas Lehmann, Sylvia Jacobi, Sven Gutewort. "Peroxo Compounds, Inorganic". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.a19_177.pub2. ISBN 978-3-527-30673-2.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) 978-3-527-30673-2 ↩

  12. Craig W. Jones (1999). Applications of Hydrogen Peroxide and Derivatives. Royal Society of Chemistry. ISBN 0-85404-536-8. 0-85404-536-8 ↩

  13. "Oxygen-based bleaches[usurped]", The Royal Society of Chemistry, and Reckitt Benckiser (the manufacturers of Vanish). https://web.archive.org/web/20120124185550/http://www.chemistryinyourcupboard.org/vanish/4 ↩

  14. "Sodium Percarbonate". MoreBeer.com. Retrieved 26 June 2020. https://www.morebeer.com/products/sodium-percarbonate.html ↩

  15. McKillop, A (1995). "Sodium perborate and sodium percarbonate: Cheap, safe and versatile oxidising agents for organic synthesis". Tetrahedron. 51 (22): 6145–6166. doi:10.1016/0040-4020(95)00304-Q. /wiki/Doi_(identifier) ↩

  16. Kang, Ho-Jung; Jeong, Hee-Sun (1996). "New Method of Generating Trifluoroperoxyacetic acid for the Baeyer-Villiger Reaction". Bull. Korean Chem. Soc. 17 (1): 5–6. http://journal.kcsnet.or.kr/main/j_search/j_abstract_view.htm?code=B960104&cpage=3&qpage=j_search&spage=j_search&journal=B&vol=17&no=1&page=&year1=1990&year2=1999&view=10&qpage=j_search&abstract= ↩

  17. Caster, Kenneth C.; Rao, A. Somasekar; Mohan, H. Rama; McGrath, Nicholas A.; Brichacek, Matthew (2012). "Trifluoroperacetic Acid". Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis. e-EROS Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis. doi:10.1002/047084289X.rt254.pub2. ISBN 978-0471936237. 978-0471936237 ↩