Kinetics of oxidation of D-arabinose and D-xylose by acidic solution of
vanadium (V) ions in the presence of manganese (II) has been reported. First-order
dependence of the reaction rate was observed on [sugars] and [H
+
] at low
concentrations throughout the oxidation reaction and a zero-order dependence on
[sugar] and [H
+
] was observed at high concentrations. First-order kinetics with respect to
[Mn (II)] was also observed throughout the oxidation for both sugars. The results
indicate the effect of Cl
−
concentration is negligible. The reaction rates increase with the
ionic strength of the medium. Various activation parameters were evaluated and provide
further support to the proposed mechanism. Formic acid was reported as one of the
oxidation products of these sugars.
