So in my next experiment, I'm going to be preparing VO(acac)2 from V2O5, sulfuric acid, acetylacetone, followed by neutralizing with sodium carbonate.
I've been attempting to figure out the overall equation. I've figured out that the Vanadium is reduced:
VO
2+ + 2H
+ + e-
VO
2+ + H
2O
The only thing I could see being potentially oxidized is the sulfur in sulfuric acid, so from a table I got:
2[SO
4]
2- [S
2O
8]
2- + 2e-
Giving overall:
2VO
2+ + 4H
+ + 2[SO
4]
2- 2VO
2+ + 2H
2O + [S
2O
8]
2-I'm stuck with figuring out how to write this in terms of the full compounds being used rather than the ions. (i.e. V2O5 + H2SO4)
I think the main part throwing me off is that there's an extra oxygen in V2O5 that I can't figure out what to do with. Then there's the H's from the acacH too.
I found an equation on page 2 of this pdf:
http://www.chemistry.ucsc.edu/~soliver/151L/Expt3Refs1.pdfBut these show the vanadium being reduced from V to IV, and I don't see anything being oxidized.
I've also found this website:
http://course1.winona.edu/cmiertschin/450/Lab/Acac_lab.pdfWhich suggests that H2 is what's being oxidized - but I don't even see a source of it.
I'm also curious because the procedure mentions that the mixture may froth over (when we're just mixing the V2O5 and sulfuric acid), and I'd assume a gas is causing this, but I can't see how it's being formed.
Any help, especially with the equation, would be appreciated. Thank you.