Kinetics and mechanism of meso-tetraphenylporphyriniron(III) chloride (TPP) catalysed oxidation of indole by sodium perborate

Developing catalyst is very significant for biologically important reactions which yield products, used as drugs. Mechanistic study on meso-tetraphenylporphyriniron(III) chloride (TPP) catalysed oxidation of indole by sodium perborate in aqueous acetic acid medium have been carried out. The reaction follows a fractional order with respect to substrate and catalyst. The order with respect to oxidant was found to be one. Increase in the percentage of acetic acid and increase in the concentration of [H+] decreased the rate. The reaction fails to initiate polymerization, and a radical mechanism is ruled out. Activation and thermodynamic parameters have been computed. A suitable kinetic scheme based on these observations has been proposed. Significant catalytic activity is observed for the reaction system in the presence of TPP.