chlorate: Commercial Uses of Chlorates

The most industrially important chlorate is potassium chlorate, or chlorate of potash, KClO₃; sodium chlorate, or chlorate of soda, NaClO₃, is also used. Potassium chlorate is a colorless crystalline substance that melts at 356℃ and decomposes violently at about 400℃. It is a powerful oxidizing agent and is used in making explosives and matches; a mixture of potassium chlorate with phosphorus, sulfur, or any of numerous organic compounds (e.g., charcoal or sugar) explodes upon friction or percussion. When a chlorate is heated, oxygen is evolved, often explosively, and the chloride is formed; e.g., 2KClO₃→2KCl+3O₂. The reaction proceeds controllably at lower temperatures if a catalyst, e.g., manganese dioxide, is used; this provides a convenient source of oxygen. If the chlorate is heated carefully at a lower temperature so that no oxygen is given off, the perchlorate and chloride are formed; e.g., 4KClO₃→3KClO₄+KCl.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Commercial Uses of Perchlorates
• Formation of Perchlorates
• Perchloric Acid and Its Salts
• Commercial Uses of Chlorates
• Formation of Chlorates
• Chloric Acid and Its Salts

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