ABRSTRACT

Sodium peroxoborate hexahydrate was prepared using borax, hydrogen peroxide, and sodium
hydroxide. Borax has the ability to be an acid when accepting a hydroxyl ion or base if in a solution
with string alkalis. The compound recovered after the the experiment was found to have a
percentage yield of 66.97%.

AIM

The aim of this experiment is to study the chemical reactions of oxoacids and the formation of
oxoacid salts and prepare sodium peroxoborate hexahydrate salt.

INTRODUCTION

An oxo acid is an oxygen containing acid. In specific terms it is a compound that has a hydrogen,
oxygen and atleast one other element in it. Atleast one hydrogen is bonded to the oxygen an it can
dissociate forming a hydrogen cation. The remaining part of the acid after dissociation becomes the
anion. The hydrogen attached to the oxygen is simply protonizable.an oxoacid contains the structure
X-O-H, where X is the central ion and other atoms or molecules can be attached to it and O is the
oxygen atom attached to the hydrogen atom H. In solutions oxoacids can dissociate in two distinct
ways:

X-O-H = X-O- + H+

X-O-H = X+ + OH-

With the sodium boron chemistry the reaction chemistry that is mainly involved is that of boron.
Boron can combine with three oxygen atoms to form a perborate ion. The perborate ion has one
negative charge and it is considered an oxy-anion which means it can combine with a cation to form
an oxy-salt. The oxy-salt can have a hydration sphere consisting of a number of water molecules
closely associated with the ionic parts for example sodium perborate tetrahydrate. When an
additional oxygen is added to the bonded unit that has a boron, the molecule species the becomes a
peroxoborate molecule. The additional oxygen comes with a hydroxyl group and the charge of the
molecule increases by -2. The final reaction for the formation of the oxy-acid then becomes:

Na2[B4O5(OH)4].10H2O + 2NaOH = 4NaBO2 + 11H2O………………..Eq 1

2NaBO2 + 2H2O2 + 6H2O = Na2[(OH)2BO2B(OH)2].6H2O…………….EQ2

EXPERIMENTAL

CHEMICALS REQUIRED

Sodium tetrahydrate decahydrate (borax)

3.3% sodium hydroxide

Hydrogen peroxide 6%

Experimental procedure

Borax was weighed accurately using an analytical balance to give off approximately 3 g. the borax
was the dissolve in 20 cm3 of 3.3% sodium hydroxide solution. The solution was the cooled in an
icebath and 20 cm3 of 6% hydrogen peroxide was added slowly to the reaction and the solution was
stirred constantly for about 20 minutes so that the crystallization process can take place until it was
complete. The crystals were then filtered off using vacum filtration. As the filtration was in progress
the crystals were washed of using alcohol fisrt then ether before letting them dry on the filter paper.
The yield of the product was recorded.

RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

Mass of boat: 1.0864

Mass of boat + borax: 4.1134g

Mass of borax: 3.0270g

Mass of filter paper + patri dish + product : 52.2553g

Mass of filter paper + patri dish: 49.1031

Mass of product : 3.1522g

Yield calculations

Na2[B4O5(OH)4].10H2O + 2NaOH = 4NaBO2 + 11H2O………………..Eq 1

1 : 2

Moles of borax = mass(g) / molarmass

= 3.0270/ 381.37214

=0.007937 mol

Moles of NaOH = mol of borax multiplied by 2

= 0.007937 x 2 = 0.01587 mol

Mass of NaOH reacted = # mol x molarmass = 0.01587 x 39.9971 = 0.6349g

2NaBO2 + 2H2O2 + 6H2O = Na2[(OH)2BO2B(OH)2].6H2O…………….EQ2

2 : 2

Mass of hydrogen peroxide that reacted = concentration x volume

= 6g/100ml x 20 ml = 1.2 g

Moles of hydrogen peroxide = mass (g)/ molarmass = 1.2 g / 34.0147gmol-1 = 0.03527 mol

Moles of product produced = moles of hydrogen peroxide / 2 (according to mole ratio)

= 0.03527 mol/ 2= 0.017635 mol

Mass of product produced = # mol x molarmass of product

= 0.017635mol x 266.90944gmol-1

= 4.7069 g

% yield = (actual yield / theoretical yield) x 100

= ( 3.1522
4.7069 )
∗100 = 66.97 %
COMPLEMENTARY WORK RESULTS

ACTION OBSERVATION EQUATION

2M H2SO4 + 0.02M KMnO4 Solution remains colourless
2M H2SO4 + 10% KI Solution turns brick red
1% TIO(SO4) the excess NaF Solution turns from colourless
to orange to pale yellow
Melting point 66.0oC -70.0oC

DISCUSSION

The experiment was was conducted under good conditions even though some errors might have
been encountered.they were minimised by following the procedure accordingly. What the
percentage yield indicates is how much of the salt was recrystallized. This process was highly
dependent on how much of the borax was firstly dissolved in the sodium hydroxide in the first
process, this would go on further to play a role in the addition of the hydrogen peroxide. Once after
the slow addition of a cold water bath the salt starts to recrystallize. The longer one slowly mixes
and increases the time spent in the water bath, the more the salt forms. This is why experimentally
66.97% was obtained. The sources of error that may have occurred is not removing all the filtered
salt from the filter funnel as this might affect the actual yield of the product.

The oxoborate in the acidic medium has a bleaching effect and therefore decolourises the potassium
permanganate added to it. The iodine added to the solution when KI was added causes the brick red
colour change.

CONCLUSION

Sodium peroxoborate hexahydrate was prepared from sodium tetraborate decahydrate. This was
further tested and proved by the analytical tests that were conducted on the product solution. The
percentage yield of the salt recovered was found to be 66.97 % which is fair considering the time
waited and the errors in the experiment.
REFERENCES

Sutcliffe, B. T., & Tennyson, J. (1987). Variational methods for the calculation of rovibrational
energy levels of small molecules. Journal of the Chemical Society, Faraday Transactions 2:
Molecular and Chemical Physics, 83(9), 1663-1674.

Atkins, P., & Overton, T. (2010). Shriver and Atkins' inorganic chemistry. Oxford University Press,
USA.

Zoller, U., & Sosis, P. (2008). Handbook of detergents, part F: Production. CRC Press.
PRELAB QUESTIONS

1. The number of electrons around the central atom in a molecule will only be six. Such
electron deficient molecules tend to accept a pair of electrons to archive a stable electronic
configuration thus behaving as lewis acids.
2. 2NaBO2 + 2H2O2 + 6H2O = Na2[(OH)2BO2B(OH)2].6H2O
 DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY

CHE 323

EXPERIMENT 3

OXO-ACIDS AND OXO-ACIDS SALTS

THE PREPARATION OF SODIUM PEREXOBORATE
HEXAHYDRATE

SURNAME: SAMAKWATI

NAME : BOTLHE KGOTLA

ID : 202003096

LAB DAY: FRIDAY GROUP B