EXPERIMENT 6

Photochemical Reduction of Ion Iron (III)

A. Observation Data
1. The color of iron (III) chloride solution at first: orange
2. Color of diammonium hidrophosphate solution at first: colorless
3. Color of mixed solution: yellow
4. Color of the solution plus a mixture of oxalic acid: yellow
5. Color of paper after being immersed in the solution: dark blue
6. Printouts (result of printing):
Object

Kind of Paper

FITA

Pola
KIMIA
Pola

Tracing paper

Time of
Irradiation
15 minutes

Board paper

15 minutes

Tracing paper

20 minutes

Board paper

20 minutes

Result
The object printed
clearly
The object printed
clearly
The object printed
clearly
The object printed
clearly

7. Reactions :
FeCl3(l) + (NH4)2HPO4(aq) FePO4(aq) + HCl(aq) + 2NH4Cl(aq)

2FePO4(aq) +3H2C2O4(aq ) 2FeC2O4(aq) + 2H3PO4(aq) +

2CO2(g)
Fe2+(aq) + [Fe(CN)6]3-(aq) Fe3+(aq) + [Fe(CN)6]4-(aq)
4Fe3+(aq) + 3[Fe(CN)6]3-(aq) Fe4[Fe(CN)6]3(aq)
3K2Cr2O7(aq) + 2[Fe(CN)6]3-(aq) 2K3[Fe(CN)6] (aq) + 3Cr2O72(aq)

K2Cr2O7(aq) + 2HCl(aq) 2 KCl(aq) + H2Cr2O7(aq)

B. Discussion
In
this

practicum,

conducted

the

experiments

of

photochemical reduction of ion iron (III) which aims to study the

iron (III) reduction as a result of photochemical reaction and
understand their application in blueprints. The principle used in
this experiment is the reduction reaction of iron ions (III) which is
influenced by sunlight. Experiments photochemical reduction of

iron (III) and its utilization for the blueprint based on the concept of
oxidation and reduction, changes in iron (III) to iron (II) referred to
as the reduction reaction because the process is the oxidation
state of the iron decreased from becoming +2 to +3.
The first stage is mix the solution of iron (III) chloride with the
solution of diammonium hidrofosfat. Solution of iron (III) serves as
an oxidizer and as samples that produce Fe3+ ion. While the
solution of diammonium hidrofosfat serves as a substance that
slows the reduction reaction in the iron.
The reaction occured :
FeCl3 + (NH4)2HPO4
FePO4 + 2NH4Cl + HCl
Based on the reaction, can be seen that diammonium
hidrofosfat can slows reduction reaction of Fe3+, because Fe3+ will
react with the PO43- forming FePO4 wivh have stable bond, so that
needs great energy to reduce Fe3+.
Furthermore, the mixed solution is added with the solution of
oxalic acid. This oxalic acid solution serves as a reducing agent
that will reduce iron (III) ion to iron (II) ion.
The reaction occured :
2FePO4 + 3H2C2O4
2FeC2O4 + 2H3PO4 + 2CO2
The ion reaction that occur :
Reduction :
Fe3+ + eFe2+
2Oxidation :
C2O4
2CO2 + 2e
3+
2Fe + 2e
2Fe2+
2C2O4
2CO2 + 2e2Fe3+ + C2O422Fe2+ + 2CO2
The process of adding a solution of oxalic acid is done in a
darkened room. This was done because of the light will affect the
process of reduction of iron (III) ion to iron (II) ion. Energy from
sunlight will cause collisions between particles with compounds will
running faster, so the reaction will running faster too. If this
reduction reaction running quickly, it will be difficult to observe the
reduction process that occurs.
Furthermore, dipping 4 HVS into the mixed solution. Dyeing is done evenly in
order to see the reduction of iron (III) ion to iron (II) ion. Dyeing process is done for
30 minutes. This is aims to submerged HVS evenly. This dyeing process is done in a
dark room, so that sunlight does not enter. The paper then removed and placed

between two filter paper and left until the paper dry in a dark room. This meant that
the iron reduction process can occur optimally. In addition, the filter paper has a
strong absorption so that the drying process can running quickly. Drying is done for
30 minutes, in order to produce sharper prints.
While waiting the sensitized paper getting dry, we created the
object. Our group made 4 variations in creating objects, 2 object
written in board paper, and 2 objects written in tracing paper.
Where the board paper written FITA and KIMIA, while tracing
paper drawed object and . After the HVS paper that has been
dipped in a solution getting dry, the HVS clipped on the two pieces
of glass, the composition of which is glass, sensitized paper, paper
objects, and the glass again. The function of this glass is to avoid
the direct sunlight on objects and sensitive paper thus object that
produced will seen more clearly. At the side of the glass is fastened
with rubber, so that the object does not move during the
irradiation.
Furthermore sensitized paper and glass objects that have
clamped will irradiated by sunlight. This radiation is aims that print
removal between sensitized paper and paper objects can running
well. This stage is called photochemical stage, that is the chemical
reactions which occur with the help of sunlight. In this process, Fe2+
is converted to Fe3+ which is a colorless complex compound. At the
time of the reaction process in the darkroom aims to prevent the
occurrence of photochemical process known as antiphotochemical
reaction. Irradiation is conducted with variaty of time, 15 minutes
for FITA and , then 20 minutes for KIMIA and .
After irradiation, each sensitive paper is dipped into a solution
of potassium hexaciannoferrat or [K3Fe(CN)6]. This solution will give
blue color on sensitized paper, so that the object that written can
be observed.
The reaction occured :
Fe2+(aq) + [Fe(CN)6]3-(aq)

Fe3+(aq) + [Fe(CN)6]4-

Furthermore, these ion merged and produced trunbull blue color :

4Fe3+(aq) + 3[Fe(CN)6]4-

Fe4[Fe(CN)6]3
Trunbull blue

On this reaction can be seen that the reaction between Fe3+

and [Fe(CN)6]3- produce Turnbull blue color.
The next process is sensitive paper dipping into a solution of potassium
dichromate or K2Cr2O7 which serves to remove impurities in the form of
hexacyanoferrate ion. Then the sensitized paper is dipped into a solution of
hydrochloric acid, or HCl which aims to eliminating the impurities that is not bound
by K2Cr2O7, also to clean up the possibility of diammonium excess that occur in the
reaction. The last step is wash the sensitive paper with water for the purpose to
eliminating the excessive of HCl ions and its salt.
The reaction that occured :
3K2Cr2O7 + 2[Fe(CN)6]32K3[Fe(CN)6] + 3Cr2O72K2Cr2O7 + 2HCl
2KCl + H2Cr2O7
The results showed that the longer the irradiation time, the
blue color seen more clearly. There is a relationship between the
length of irradiation time with the appearance of the object that is
created, that is the longer the irradiation time, the longer the time
that is given to reduce Fe3+ to Fe2+, so that the blue color can be
seen more clearly.
The results that obtained are:

at the time of 15 minutes

irradiation, the objects printed clearly, at the time of 20 minutes

irradiation, the object also printed clearly. According to the theory,
the longer irradiation time, the objects will printed more clearly.
Because the longer irradiation time, the more Fe3+ ions are reduced to
Fe2+, so that the blue color can be seen more clearly. But, in our result, the
differences between irradiation of 15 minutes and 20 minutes is
not seemed. All of objects which have been irradiated for 15
minutes and 20 minutes is printed clearly. The interval (variable
time) of irradiation that we used should be more large, e.g 5
minutes and 20 minutes, so the differences of printing result can
be observed.
In the tracing paper, the part of paper that written by marker,
the color doesnt changed (still white) because the sunlight can not
enter, while the part of paper that not written by marker have blue
color because the sunlight can enter. It means that the blue color
is Fe3+ that has been reducted to Fe 2+, while the white color is Fe3+

that not reducted because the sunlight can not enter. So can be
conclude that the sunlight can accelerate reduction process, the
part of paper that exposed by sunlight will undergo reduction
reaction from Fe3+ to Fe2+ which has blue color, while the part of
paper that not exposed by sunlight is not reducted, so it still
contain Fe3+ ions.