The photo-chemistry of potassium permanganate. Part 1.—Application of the potentiometer to the study of photo-chemical change
- 3 May 1923
- journal article
- Published by The Royal Society in Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Containing Papers of a Mathematical and Physical Character
- Vol. 103 (721) , 342-366
- https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1923.0062
Abstract
In investigating the effect of the light from the quartz mercury-vapour amp on the electrode potentials of solutions of various electrolytes, a very marked and rapid change was noticed in the case of potassium permanganate. The nature of the effect suggested that it is the result of a photo-decomposition of the potassium permanganate, and the following research was undertaken to confirm the hypothesis and discover the mechanism of the chemical change. A study of the literature revealed the fact that little work has been accomplished on the photo-chemistry of the permanganates. Pouguet has stated that, in the presence of a depolariser (oxalic acid), potassium permanganate is light-sensitive, reduction taking place to potassium manganate. Matthews and Dewey noticed a very slight decomposition, with the separation of a brown oxide, when a strong solution of permanganate is illuminated by a quartz mercury-vapour lamp. They were unable to obtain any quantitative data on the rate of decomposition, nor were any experiments made to elucidate the mechanism of the process.This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: