DECOMPOSITION OF SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE: THE UNCATALYZED REACTION
The decomposition of sodium hypochlorite has been re-examined. The results show that Foerster and Dolch’s mechanism of the decomposition to chlorate and chloride is correct; they postulated a slow bimolecular reaction to chlorite and chloride, followed by a faster reaction of chlorite with more hypochlorite. Values of the rate constants of both steps are reported; they make the activation energies 24.8 kcal./gm-molecule for the first step and 20.8 kcal./gm-molecule for the second. The rates are such that at 40 °C. a solution of sodium hypochlorite will contain about 1% as much chlorite as hypochlorite. The rate is strongly affected by changing ionic strength; at low ionic strengths it is nearly constant or falls slightly; above about 0.8, the rate rises and at high ionic strengths the rise is quite rapid. No signs of specific catalytic effects of sodium chloride, hydroxide, or carbonate could be observed, and it seems probable that earlier reports of this were due to variations in ionic strength. The decomposition to chloride and oxygen has been measured and is a unimolecular reaction, which is possibly, but not certainly, uncatalyzed. Values of its rate constant are reported; they also are much altered by changing the ionic strength.