Kinetics and Mechanism of The Oxidation of 2-Methylindole by Alkaline Potassium Hexacyanoferrate(III)

The reaction of 2-methylindole with hexacyanoferrate(III) in alkaline media to produce the corresponding 2-methylindolin-3-one has been studied at constant temperature and ionic strength. The reaction followed first order kinetics with respect to [2-methylindole], [OH-] and [Fe(CN)63-]. The effects of added electrolytes, potassium hexacyanoferrate(II), relative permitivity and temperature have also been studied. On the basis of experimental observations, a probable reaction mechanism has been proposed.