Abstract
The catalytic effect of palladium(II) on the oxidation of L-tryptophan by potassium hexacyanoferrate(111) has been investigated spectrophotometrically in aqueous perchloric acid medium. A first order dependence in [hexacyanoferrate(III)] and fractional-first order dependences in both [L-tryptophan] and [palladium(II)] were obtained. The reaction exhibits fractional-second order kinetics with respect to [H+]. Reaction rate increased with increase in ionic strength and dielectric constant of the medium. The effect of temperature on the reaction rate has also been studied and activation parameters have been evaluated and discussed. Initial addition of the reaction product, hexacyanoferrate(II), does not affect the rate significantly. A plausible mechanistic scheme explaining all the observed kinetic results has been proposed. The final oxidation products are identified as indole-3-acetaldehyde, ammonium ion and carbon dioxide. The rate law associated with the reaction mechanism is derived.