Sodium superoxide is the inorganic compound with the formula NaO2.[1] This yellow-orange solid is a salt of the superoxide anion. It is an intermediate in the oxidation of sodium by oxygen.
Preparation
NaO2 is prepared by treating sodium peroxide with oxygen at high pressures:[2]
- Na2O2 + O2 → 2 NaO2
It can also be prepared by careful oxygenation of a solution of sodium in ammonia:
- Na(in NH3) + O2 → NaO2
It is also produced, along with sodium peroxide, when sodium is stored under inappropriate conditions (e.g. in dirty or partially halogenated solvents)[citation needed].
Properties
The product is paramagnetic, as expected for a salt of the O−
2 anion. It hydrolyses readily to give a mixture of sodium hydroxide, oxygen and hydrogen peroxide.[3] It crystallizes in the NaCl motif.
References
- ^ Hayyan, Maan; Hashim, Mohd Ali; AlNashef, Inas M. (2016-02-15). "Superoxide Ion: Generation and Chemical Implications". Chemical Reviews. 116 (5). American Chemical Society (ACS): 3029–3085. doi:10.1021/acs.chemrev.5b00407. ISSN 0009-2665. PMID 26875845.
- ^ Stephen E. Stephanou, Edgar J. Seyb Jr., Jacob Kleinberg "Sodium Superoxide" Inorganic Syntheses 1953; Vol. 4, 82-85.
- ^ Sasol Encyclopaedia of Science and Technology , G.C. Gerrans, P. Hartmann-Petersen , p.243 "sodium oxides" , google books link