Fenton's reagent is a solution of

hydrogen peroxide Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound with the formula . In its pure form, it is a very pale blue liquid that is slightly more viscous than water. It is used as an oxidizer, bleaching agent, and antiseptic, usually as a dilute solution (3% ...

(H₂O₂) with

ferrous In chemistry, the adjective Ferrous indicates a compound that contains iron(II), meaning iron in its +2 oxidation state, possibly as the divalent cation Fe2+. It is opposed to "ferric" or iron(III), meaning iron in its +3 oxidation state, suc ...

iron (typically

iron(II) sulfate Iron(II) sulfate (British English: iron(II) sulphate) or ferrous sulfate denotes a range of salts with the formula Fe SO4·''x''H2O. These compounds exist most commonly as the hepta hydrate (''x'' = 7) but several values for x are kno ...

, FeSO₄) as a

catalyst Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...

that is used to

oxidize Redox (reduction–oxidation, , ) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of substrate (chemistry), substrate change. Oxidation is the loss of Electron, electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction ...

contaminants Contamination is the presence of a constituent, impurity, or some other undesirable element that spoils, corrupts, infects, makes unfit, or makes inferior a material, physical body, natural environment, workplace, etc. Types of contamination W ...

waste water Wastewater is water generated after the use of freshwater, raw water, drinking water or saline water in a variety of deliberate applications or processes. Another definition of wastewater is "Used water from any combination of domestic, industrial ...

s as part of an advanced oxidation process. Fenton's reagent can be used to destroy

organic compound In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon- hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other carbon atoms), millions of organic compounds are known. Th ...

s such as

trichloroethylene The chemical compound trichloroethylene is a halocarbon commonly used as an industrial solvent. It is a clear, colourless non-flammable liquid with a chloroform-like sweet smell. It should not be confused with the similar 1,1,1-trichloroethane, ...

(TCE) and

tetrachloroethylene Tetrachloroethylene, also known under the systematic name tetrachloroethene, or perchloroethylene, and many other names (and abbreviations such as "perc" or "PERC", and "PCE"), is a chlorocarbon with the formula Cl2C=CCl2 . It is a colorless liq ...

(perchloroethylene, PCE). It was developed in the 1890s by

Henry John Horstman Fenton Henry John Horstman Fenton (18 February 1854 – 13 January 1929) was a British chemist who, in the 1890s, invented Fenton's reagent,

Overview

Iron(II) is oxidized by hydrogen peroxide to iron(III), forming a

hydroxyl radical The hydroxyl radical is the diatomic molecule . The hydroxyl radical is very stable as a dilute gas, but it decays very rapidly in the condensed phase. It is pervasive in some situations. Most notably the hydroxyl radicals are produced from the ...

and a hydroxide ion in the process. Iron(III) is then reduced back to iron(II) by another molecule of hydrogen peroxide, forming a

hydroperoxyl The hydroperoxyl radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and sprea ...

radical and a proton. The net effect is a

disproportionation In chemistry, disproportionation, sometimes called dismutation, is a redox reaction in which one compound of intermediate oxidation state converts to two compounds, one of higher and one of lower oxidation states. More generally, the term ca ...

of hydrogen peroxide to create two different oxygen-radical species, with water (H⁺ + OH⁻) as a byproduct. The

free radical A daughter category of ''Ageing'', this category deals only with the biological aspects of ageing. Ageing Ailments of unknown cause Biogerontology Biological processes Causes of death Cellular processes Gerontology Life extension Metabo ...

s generated by this process then engage in secondary reactions. For example, the hydroxyl is a powerful, non-selective oxidant. Oxidation of an organic compound by Fenton's reagent is rapid and

exothermic In thermodynamics, an exothermic process () is a thermodynamic process or reaction that releases energy from the system to its surroundings, usually in the form of heat, but also in a form of light (e.g. a spark, flame, or flash), electricity ...

and results in the oxidation of contaminants to primarily carbon dioxide and water. Reaction () was suggested by

Haber Haber is a surname of German origin. The meaning in old German is "oat". The cereal is now in German called . Notable people with this surname include: * Alan Haber, American student activist * Alessandro Haber, Italian actor, director, and singer ...

and

Weiss Weiss or Weiß may refer to: People * Weiss (surname), including spelling Weiß * Weiss Ferdl (1883-1949), German actor Places * Mount Weiss, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada * Weiss Lake, Alabama * Weiß (Sieg), a river in North Rhine-West ...

in the 1930s as part of what would become the Haber–Weiss reaction.

Iron(II) sulfate Iron(II) sulfate (British English: iron(II) sulphate) or ferrous sulfate denotes a range of salts with the formula Fe SO4·''x''H2O. These compounds exist most commonly as the hepta hydrate (''x'' = 7) but several values for x are kno ...

is typically used as the iron catalyst. The exact mechanisms of the redox cycle are uncertain, and non-OH^• oxidizing mechanisms of organic compounds have also been suggested. Therefore, it may be appropriate to broadly discuss ''Fenton chemistry'' rather than a specific ''Fenton reaction''. In the electro-Fenton process, hydrogen peroxide is produced ''in situ'' from the electrochemical reduction of oxygen. Fenton's reagent is also used in

organic synthesis Organic synthesis is a special branch of chemical synthesis and is concerned with the intentional construction of organic compounds. Organic molecules are often more complex than inorganic compounds, and their synthesis has developed into one o ...

for the

hydroxylation In chemistry, hydroxylation can refer to: *(i) most commonly, hydroxylation describes a chemical process that introduces a hydroxyl group () into an organic compound. *(ii) the ''degree of hydroxylation'' refers to the number of OH groups in a ...

of arenes in a radical substitution reaction such as the classical conversion of

benzene Benzene is an organic chemical compound with the molecular formula C6H6. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a planar ring with one hydrogen atom attached to each. Because it contains only carbon and hydrogen ato ...

into

phenol Phenol (also called carbolic acid) is an aromatic organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a white crystalline solid that is volatile. The molecule consists of a phenyl group () bonded to a hydroxy group (). Mildly acidic, it ...

. An example hydroxylation reaction involves the

oxidation Redox (reduction–oxidation, , ) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of substrate change. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is the gain of electrons or a ...

of barbituric acid to alloxane. Another application of the reagent in organic synthesis is in

coupling reaction A coupling reaction in organic chemistry is a general term for a variety of reactions where two fragments are joined together with the aid of a metal catalyst. In one important reaction type, a main group organometallic compound of the type R-M (R ...

s of alkanes. As an example ''tert''-butanol is dimerized with Fenton's reagent and sulfuric acid to 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-hexanediol. Fenton's reagent is also widely used in the field of environmental science for

water purification Water purification is the process of removing undesirable chemicals, biological contaminants, suspended solids, and gases from water. The goal is to produce water that is fit for specific purposes. Most water is purified and disinfected for hu ...

and soil remediation. Various hazardous wastewater were reported to be effectively degraded through Fenton's reagent.

Effect of pH on formation of free radicals

pH affects the reaction rate due to a variety of reasons. At a low pH, complexation of Fe²⁺ also occurs, leading to lower availability of Fe²⁺ to form reactive oxidative species (OH^•). Lower pH also results in the scavenging of ^•OH by excess H⁺, hence reducing its reaction rate. Whereas at high pH, the reaction slows down due to precipitation of Fe(OH)₃, lowering the concentration of the Fe³⁺ species in solution.

Solubility In chemistry, solubility is the ability of a substance, the solute, to form a solution with another substance, the solvent. Insolubility is the opposite property, the inability of the solute to form such a solution. The extent of the solub ...

of iron species is directly governed by the solution's pH. Fe³⁺ is about 100 times less soluble than Fe²⁺ in natural water at near-neutral pH, the ferric ion concentration is the limiting factor for the reaction rate. Under high pH conditions, the stability of the H₂O₂ is also affected, resulting in its self-decomposition. Higher pH also decreased the redox potential of ^•OH thereby reducing its effectiveness. pH plays a crucial role in the formation of free radicals and hence the reaction performance. Thus ongoing research has been done to optimize pH and amongst other parameters for greater reaction rates. :

Biomedical implications

The Fenton reaction has different implications in biology because it involves the formation of free radicals by chemical species naturally present in the cell under ''

in vivo Studies that are ''in vivo'' (Latin for "within the living"; often not italicized in English) are those in which the effects of various biological entities are tested on whole, living organisms or cells, usually animals, including humans, and ...

'' conditions.

Transition-metal In chemistry, a transition metal (or transition element) is a chemical element in the d-block of the periodic table (groups 3 to 12), though the elements of group 12 (and less often group 3) are sometimes excluded. They are the elements that can ...

ions such as

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in ...

and

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish ...

can donate or accept free electrons via intracellular reactions and so contribute to the formation, or at the contrary to the scavenging, of

Superoxide In chemistry, a superoxide is a compound that contains the superoxide ion, which has the chemical formula . The systematic name of the anion is dioxide(1−). The reactive oxygen ion superoxide is particularly important as the product of ...

ions and transition metals act in a synergistic way in the appearance of free radical damages. Therefore, although the clinical significance is still unclear, it is one of the viable reasons to avoid iron supplementation in patients with active infections, whereas other reasons include iron-mediated infections.

Applications

Fenton's reagent is used as a sewage treatment agent. Fenton's reagent can be used in different chemical procesess that supply

hydroxyl In chemistry, a hydroxy or hydroxyl group is a functional group with the chemical formula and composed of one oxygen atom covalently bonded to one hydrogen atom. In organic chemistry, alcohols and carboxylic acids contain one or more hydrox ...

ion or oxidize certain compounds: * The first stage of Fenton’s reaction (oxidation of Fe³⁺ with

) is used in Haber–Weiss reaction * Fenton's reagent can be used in organic synthesis reactions: e.g. hydroxylation of

arenes Aromatic compounds, also known as "mono- and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons", are organic compounds containing one or more aromatic rings. The parent member of aromatic compounds is benzene. The word "aromatic" originates from the past grouping ...

via a

free radical substitution In organic chemistry, a radical-substitution reaction is a substitution reaction involving free radicals as a reactive intermediate.March Jerry; (1985). Advanced organic chemistry reactions, mechanisms and structure (3rd ed.). New York: John Wiley ...

* Conversion of

into

by using Fenton's reagent * Oxidation of barbituric acid into alloxan. * Coupling reactions of alkanes

References

External links

Reference Library Peroxide Applications
* Companies that use Fenton's Reagent for chemical remediation
ORIN
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fenton's Reagent Analytical reagents Catalysis Environmental chemistry Free radical reactions Free radicals Iron compounds Name reactions Oxidizing agents Peroxides