Sodium percarbonate

Sodium percarbonate
IUPAC name sodium carbonate—hydrogen peroxide (2/3)
Other names PCS, solid hydrogen peroxide, Sodium carbonate hydrogen peroxide, sodium carbonate peroxyhydrate
Identifiers
CAS number	15630-89-4 Y
PubChem	159762
ChemSpider	13399092 Y
EC number	239-707-6
Jmol-3D images	Image 1
SMILES [Na+].[O-]C(=O)OO
InChI InChI=1S/CH2O4.Na/c2-1(3)5-4;/h4H,(H,2,3);/q;+1/p-1 Y Key: MWNQXXOSWHCCOZ-UHFFFAOYSA-M Y
Properties
Molecular formula	Na2CO3·1.5H2O2
Molar mass	157.01 g/mol
Appearance	white solid
Solubility in water	150 g/l
Hazards
EU Index	Not listed
Main hazards	Irritant, Oxidizer
Flash point	Non-flammable
Related compounds
Other anions	Sodium carbonate Sodium bicarbonate
Related compounds	Sodium perborate Sodium persulfate Sodium perphosphate
Y (verify) (what is: Y/N?) Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa)
Infobox references

Sodium percarbonate is a chemical, an adduct of sodium carbonate and hydrogen peroxide (a perhydrate), with formula Na₂CO₃ · 1.5H₂O₂. It is a colorless, crystalline, hygroscopic and water-soluble solid.^[1] It is used in some eco-friendly cleaning products and as a laboratory source of anhydrous hydrogen peroxide.

This product contains the carbonate anion, and should not be confused with sodium peroxocarbonate Na₂CO₄ or peroxodicarbonate Na₂C₂O₆, which contain different anions.

Structure

At room temperature, solid sodium percarbonate has the orthorhombic crystal structure, with the Cmca crystallographic space group. The structure changes to Pbca as the crystals are cooled below about −30 °C.^[2]

Production

Sodium percarbonate is produced industrially by reaction of sodium carbonate and hydrogen peroxide, followed by crystallization. Also, dry sodium carbonate may be reacted directly with concentrated hydrogen peroxide solution. World production capacity of this compound was estimated at several hundred thousand tonnes for 2004.^[3] It can be obtained in the laboratory by reacting the two substances in aqueous solution with proper control of the pH^[4] or concentrations.^[2]

Uses

Sodium percarbonate is an oxidizing agent and ingredient in a number of home and laundry cleaning products, including bleach products such as OxiClean and Tide laundry detergent.^[1] It contains no phosphorus or nitrogen. Dissolved in water, it yields a mixture of hydrogen peroxide (which eventually decomposes to water and oxygen) and sodium carbonate ("soda ash").^[1]

Sodium percarbonate can be used in organic synthesis as a convenient source of anhydrous H₂O₂, in particular in solvents that cannot dissolve the carbonate but can leach the H₂O₂ out of it.^[5]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Craig W. Jones (1999). Applications of hydrogen peroxide and its derivatives. Royal Society of Chemistry. ISBN 0854045368. 
2. ^ ^{a b} R. G. Pritchard and E. Islam (2003). "Sodium percarbonate between 293 and 100 K". Acta Crystallographica Section B B59: 596–605. doi:10.1107/S0108768103012291. 
3. ^ Harald Jakob, Stefan Leininger, Thomas Lehmann, Sylvia Jacobi, Sven Gutewort (2005), "Peroxo Compounds, Inorganic", Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, Weinheim: Wiley-VCH, doi:10.1002/14356007.a19_177.pub2 
4. ^ J. M. Adams and R. G. Pritchard (1977). "The crystal structure of sodium percarbonate: an unusual layered solid". Acta Crystallographica Section B B33: 3650–3653. doi:10.1107/S0567740877011790. 
5. ^ McKillop, A (1995). "Sodium perborate and sodium percarbonate: Cheap, safe and versatile oxidising agents for organic synthesis". Tetrahedron 51: 6145. doi:10.1016/0040-4020(95)00304-Q. 

External links

• Organic Chemistry Portal: Sodium percarbonate
• Record in the Household Products Database of NLM