Kinetics of 2,2′‐Bipyridyl‐Catalyzed Oxidation of Isopropyl Alcohol with Chromic Acid

Abstract 2,2′‐Bipyridyl and some substituted compounds catalyze effectively the oxidation of isopropyl alcohol by chromic acid. The reaction is first order in chromium(VI), alcohol and 2,2′‐bipyridyl; it is first order in hydrogen ions at high acidity and slightly alters to second order at low acidity. The proposed mechanism shows that the rate‐limiting step is mainly the decomposition of a termolecular complex to products. However, at low acidity, the formation step of this complex is a little less reversible and hence somewhat rate‐limiting. Electron‐donating substituents at the 4‐position enhance the catalytic activity. Electron‐withdrawing substituents at the 4‐ and 2‐positions diminish the reaction rates by electronic and steric factors.