Sodium percarbonate
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Sodium percarbonate or sodium carbonate peroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula Template:Chem2. It is an adduct of sodium carbonate ("soda ash" or "washing soda") and hydrogen peroxide (that is, a perhydrate). It is a colorless, crystalline, hygroscopic, and water-soluble solid.<ref name = "Jones">Template:Cite book</ref> It is sometimes abbreviated as SPC. It contains 32.5% by weight of hydrogen peroxide.
The product is used in some eco-friendly bleaches and other cleaning products.<ref name = "Jones"/>
HistoryEdit
Sodium percarbonate was first prepared in 1899 by Ukrainian chemist Sebastian Moiseevich Tanatar (7 October 1849 – 30 November 1917).<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
StructureEdit
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.<ref name="prit1"> Template:Cite journal</ref>
ChemistryEdit
Dissolved in water, sodium percarbonate yields a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, sodium cations (Template:Chem), and carbonate (Template:Chem).<ref name = "Jones"/><ref name="rscvanish" />
ProductionEdit
Sodium percarbonate is produced industrially by crystallization of a solution of sodium carbonate and hydrogen peroxide, with attention to the pH and concentrations.<ref name="prit0">J. M. Adams and R. G. Pritchard (1977): "The Crystal Structure of Sodium Percarbonate: an Unusual Layered Solid". Acta Crystallographica Section B, volume B33, issue 12, pages 3650–3653. {{#invoke:doi|main}}</ref><ref name="prit1"/><ref name=ajames>Alun P. James, Graham R. Horne, Richard Roesler, and others (1997): "Process for producing sodium percarbonate". US Patent US6231828B1, priority date 1997-03-26.</ref> This method is also convenient for the laboratory preparation. Alternatively, dry sodium carbonate may be treated directly with concentrated hydrogen peroxide solution.<ref name=kimpat>Sang Ryul Kim, Chong Yun Kwag, Hwan Kee Heo, Jong-Pill Lee (1996): "Process for manufacturing granular sodium percarbonate". US Patent US5851420A, priority date 1996-02-29</ref>
World production capacity of this compound was estimated at several hundred thousand tons for 2004.<ref name = Ullmann>Template:Ullmann</ref>
UsesEdit
As an oxidizing agent, sodium percarbonate is an ingredient in a number of home and laundry cleaning products, including non-chlorine bleach products such as Oxyper, OxiClean, Tide laundry detergent,<ref name = "Jones"/> and Vanish.<ref name="rscvanish">"Template:Usurped", The Royal Society of Chemistry, and Reckitt Benckiser (the manufacturers of Vanish).</ref>
Many commercial products mix a percentage of sodium percarbonate with sodium carbonate. The average "Oxy" product in the supermarket contains 35–40% sodium percarbonate with about 5% active oxygen when titrated.
Sodium percarbonate is also used as a cleaning agent in homebrewing.<ref name="Sodium Percarbonate | MoreBeer">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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.<ref name="mckill">Template:Cite journal</ref> A method for generating trifluoroperacetic acid in situ for use in Baeyer–Villiger oxidations from sodium percarbonate and trifluoroacetic anhydride has been reported; it provides a convenient and cheap approach to this reagent without the need to obtain highly concentrated hydrogen peroxide.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>