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Which species is unstable with respect to disproportionation a latimer diagram for sulphur in basic solution
Accepted Answer
In basic solution, the sulfur species that is unstable with respect to disproportionation is sulfite (SO3^2-). This can be seen in the Latimer diagram for sulfur in basic solution:
SO4^2- (+0.89) SO3^2- (+0.17) S (0) (-0.51) H2S (-0.14) S^2-
The potential for the reduction of sulfite to sulfide is more negative than the potential for the oxidation of sulfite to sulfate. Therefore, sulfite is unstable and will disproportionate into sulfate and sulfide.
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