The rates of hydrolysis of sodium tetrametaphosphate and tetraphosphate (in the presence of tetrametaphosphate) have been measured at 65.5 °C. over the pH range 2.5 to 13.3. Tetrametaphosphate anions hydrolyze to tetraphosphate which in turn hydrolyzes to triphosphate and orthophosphate and not to pyrophosphate. Thus the terminal oxygen bridges in the tetraphosphate and not the central one are attacked preferentially. The reactions were first order and acid catalyzed. The tetrametaphosphate hydrolysis was also base catalyzed with a minimum rate in solutions of pH approximately 7.5. The rate of hydrolysis of tetraphosphate was greater than triphosphate at the hydrogen ion concentrations studied. Hydrolysis of a sodium phosphate glass indicated that preferential attack on terminal oxygen bridges takes place also with higher polymers. However, trimetaphosphate is formed at the same time.
The Mechanism of the Hydrolysis of Condensed Phosphates. II. The Mechanism of the Degradation of Long-chain Polyphosphates
