Sodium ferrioxalate are

inorganic compound An inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bonds⁠that is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as ''inorganic chemistry''. Inorgan ...

s with the formula (H₂O)_n. The pentahydrate has been characterized by

X-ray crystallography X-ray crystallography is the experimental science of determining the atomic and molecular structure of a crystal, in which the crystalline structure causes a beam of incident X-rays to Diffraction, diffract in specific directions. By measuring th ...

. In contrast the potassium, ammonium, and rubidium salts crystallize from water as their trihydrates. The compound is a

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

consisting of ferrioxalate

anion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conven ...

s, , and

sodium Sodium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Na (from Neo-Latin ) and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 element, group 1 of the peri ...

cations . The anion is a

transition metal complex A coordination complex is a chemical compound consisting of a central atom or ion, which is usually metallic and is called the ''coordination centre'', and a surrounding array of bound molecules or ions, that are in turn known as ''ligands'' or ...

consisting of an

iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

atom in the +3 oxidation state and three bidentate

oxalate Oxalate (systematic IUPAC name: ethanedioate) is an anion with the chemical formula . This dianion is colorless. It occurs naturally, including in some foods. It forms a variety of salts, for example sodium oxalate (), and several esters such as ...

ions anions serving as

ligands In coordination chemistry, a ligand is an ion or molecule with a functional group that binds to a central metal atom to form a coordination complex. The bonding with the metal generally involves formal donation of one or more of the ligand's ...

. The ferrioxalate anion is sensitive to light and higher-energy

electromagnetic radiation In physics, electromagnetic radiation (EMR) is a self-propagating wave of the electromagnetic field that carries momentum and radiant energy through space. It encompasses a broad spectrum, classified by frequency or its inverse, wavelength ...

, which causes the decomposition of one oxalate to

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...

and reduction of the iron(III) atom to

iron(II) In chemistry, iron(II) refers to the element iron in its +2 oxidation state. The adjective ''ferrous'' or the prefix ''ferro-'' is often used to specify such compounds, as in ''ferrous chloride'' for iron(II) chloride (). The adjective ''ferr ...

Preparation

Sodium ferrioxalate can be obtained by mixing solutions of

sodium oxalate Sodium oxalate, or disodium oxalate, is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the sodium Salt (chemistry), salt of oxalic acid. It contains sodium cations and oxalate anions . It is a white, crystalline, odorless solid, that decomp ...

and ferric oxalate, and waiting a few hours for the brown colour of the ferric oxalate to be replaced with the green colour of the complex anion. : 3 + → 2 The equilibrium is attained only slowly at room temperature. The product can then be crystallized by evaporating the solution at just below boiling until small crystals appear, then allowing it to cool. The product may also be precipitated by adding

methanol Methanol (also called methyl alcohol and wood spirit, amongst other names) is an organic chemical compound and the simplest aliphatic Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with the chemical formula (a methyl group linked to a hydroxyl group, often ab ...

ethanol Ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is an Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with its formula also written as , or EtOH, where Et is the ps ...

to the solution. Some decomposition of the ferric oxalate may occur during the process, resulting in the canary-yellow insoluble iron(II) oxalate. Small amounts of

hydrogen peroxide Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound with the formula . In its pure form, it is a very pale blue liquid that is slightly more viscosity, viscous than Properties of water, water. It is used as an oxidizer, bleaching agent, and antiseptic, usua ...

may be added to keep the iron in the 3+ oxidation state.

References

{{Sodium compounds Iron complexes Iron(III) compounds Sodium compounds Oxalato complexes

Preparation

See also

References