Sodium superoxide
Encyclopedia
Sodium superoxide is the inorganic compound
with the formula
Na
O2
. This yellow-orange solid is a salt of the superoxide
anion. It is an intermediate in the oxidation of sodium by oxygen.
NaO2 is prepared by treating sodium peroxide
with oxygen
at high pressures:
It can also be prepared by careful oxygenation of a solution of sodium in ammonia:
The product is paramagnetic, as expected for a salt of the O2− anion. It hydrolyses readily to give a mixture of sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide, oxygen may also be evolved.. It crystallizes in the NaCl motif.
Inorganic compound
Inorganic compounds have traditionally been considered to be of inanimate, non-biological origin. In contrast, organic compounds have an explicit biological origin. However, over the past century, the classification of inorganic vs organic compounds has become less important to scientists,...
with the formula
Chemical formula
A chemical formula or molecular formula is a way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound....
Na
Sodium
Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal and is a member of the alkali metals; its only stable isotope is 23Na. It is an abundant element that exists in numerous minerals, most commonly as sodium chloride...
O2
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
. This yellow-orange solid is a salt of the superoxide
Superoxide
A superoxide, also known by the obsolete name hyperoxide, is a compound that possesses the superoxide anion with the chemical formula O2−. The systematic name of the anion is dioxide. It is important as the product of the one-electron reduction of dioxygen O2, which occurs widely in nature...
anion. It is an intermediate in the oxidation of sodium by oxygen.
NaO2 is prepared by treating sodium peroxide
Sodium peroxide
Sodium peroxide is the inorganic compound with the formula Na2O2. This solid is the product when sodium is burned with oxygen. It is a strong base and a potent oxidizing agent. It exists in several hydrates and peroxyhydrates including Na2O2·2H2O2·4H2O, Na2O2·2H2O, Na2O2·2H2O2, and...
with oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
at high pressures:
- Na2O2 + O2 → 2 NaO2
It can also be prepared by careful oxygenation of a solution of sodium in ammonia:
- Na + O2 → NaO2
The product is paramagnetic, as expected for a salt of the O2− anion. It hydrolyses readily to give a mixture of sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide, oxygen may also be evolved.. It crystallizes in the NaCl motif.