Cloner - 29-5-2006 at 02:51
I know that citric acid is used as a reducing agent. But what happens to the citric acid once it has lost electrons?
woelen - 29-5-2006 at 11:06
I think that one of the products is acetone. I tried oxidizing citric acid with permanganate in acdic solution. With some heating, the permanganate
was gone. The solution had a smell of acetone after this experiment. The other product probably is CO2.
Citric acid oxidation.
markgollum - 29-5-2006 at 14:31
I was at one time interested in the oxidation of citric acid and have photocopyed the relevant sections of an encyclopedia at the uni.
From my photocopys.
"Citric acid is easily oxidized by a variety of oxidizing agents such as peroxides, hypochlorite, persulfate, permanganate, periodate, hypobromite,
chromate, manganese dioxide, and nitric acid.
The products of oxidation are usually acetonedicarboxylic acid, oxalic acid, carbon dioxide and water depending on the conditions used"
"Reduction. The hydrogenation of citric acid yields 1,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid"