The Effect of Catalyst on the Oxidation of Manganese
The purpose of this experiment was to determine which catalyst, MnL1 or Mn(3+) salen, will efficiently oxidize manganese. The most efficient catalyst was found by studying the rate of the reaction that takes place when mixed with TBAO and CH3CN. As the reaction occurred, the manganese was oxidized and its disappearance was traced using a UV-Vis Spectrometer. The data was obtained and the average rate of the reaction calculated. Unfortunately, the data from the trials with Mn(3+) salen could not be used due to the impurity of the catalyst; the data was inconsistent, preventing the calculation of its rate. The rate from the trials with MnL1; however; was equivalent to that of a first order reaction, which means the rate of the reaction depended solely on the concentration of the MnL1. In recent studies, manganese has been proven to reduce the appearance of kidney stones; however; the reaction between manganese and oxalate within the stones takes a very long time. In this experiment specific catalysts were tested to determine the most efficient oxidizer of manganese in an effort to speed up this reaction.
Research Done By:
Doug Luther
Cousino High School
Ashley Nebel
Cousino High School
Warren Consolidated Schools