Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Preparation of Biomass-based Mesoporous Carbon with Higher Nitrogen-/Oxygen-chelating Adsorption for Cu(II) Through Microwave Pre-Pyrolysis
Published on: February 12, 2019
Kinetic study of the oxidation of catechol by aqueous copper(II)
1Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2G22.
Abstract:
The kinetics of the oxidation of catechol by aqueous copper(II) have been studied as a function of reactant concentrations at pH 6.4-7.2. To follow the reaction, a spectrophotometric method has been developed that circumvents the problem of precipitation of decomposition products of the initial o-quinone oxidation product. The rate law shows that the reactive species is the monocatecholate complex of Cu(II), and that this species undergoes rate-limiting intramolecular electron transfer with k = 1.9 x 10(-5) s(-1) (22 +/- 1 degrees C, mu = 0.125 M NaClO(4)). The results have allowed a reanalysis of previous work on the autoxidation in the aqueous Cu(II)-catechol-dioxygen system, and comparisons to mechanisms of copper(II) oxidases.
Related Concept Videos
Oxidation-Reduction Reactions
Catalysis
Voltaic/Galvanic Cells
Spontaneous redox reactions occur abundantly in nature. The chemical reaction occurring in a disposable AA battery powering our remote controls is one such example of a spontaneous redox reaction. Another example is the immersion of coiled copper wire into an aqueous silver nitrate solution. The reaction shows a gradual, visually impressive color change from colorless to bright blue and the formation of a grey precipitate on the copper wire. In this experiment,...
Oxidation of Alkenes: Syn Dihydroxylation with Potassium Permanganate
Oxidation of Alcohols
The process of oxidation in a chemical reaction is observed in any of the three forms:
Oxidation of Phenols to Quinones
o-hydroxy phenols are oxidized to o-quinones and p-hydroxy phenols to p-quinones. Such redox reactions involve the transfer of two electrons and two protons. The reversible redox property is crucial in...

![[(DPEPhos)(bcp)Cu]PF6: A General and Broadly Applicable Copper-Based Photoredox Catalyst](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcloudfront.jove.com%2FCDNSource%2Fteasers%2F59739.jpg&w=3840&q=50)