Kinetics-Study and suggested mechanism for anaerobic photo-oxidation for propionic acid by ferric ions (Feiii)

In this work we studied the photochemical oxidation of propionic acid in the presence of iron(III)-ions in aqueous medium under anaerobic conditions. All experiments have been carried out with a photoreactor, using polychromatic light (λ > 330 nm ). We discussed the experimental results from mechanistic standpoint, assuming that the complex [(Fe(C2H5COO)] 2+ is the only photoactive species in the Fe3+ -propionate ion system. Thus, we investigated the reaction mechanism, and suggested a proposed rate for the overall reaction, on depending of the rate determining step.(author)