What is the Difference Between Sodium Periodate and Sodium Metaperiodate

The key difference between sodium periodate and sodium metaperiodate is that sodium periodate is a hypovalent compound, whereas sodium metaperiodate is a hypervalent compound.

Sodium periodate is an inorganic compound having the chemical formula NaIO4. It is a hypovalent compound, which means it has a central atom having less than eight electrons in the valence electron shell. Sodium metaperiodate is an inorganic chemical compound, and it is a derivative of sodium periodate. It is a hypervalent molecule, which means it has one or more main group elements having more than eight electrons in its valence shells.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Sodium Periodate  
3. What is Sodium Metaperiodate 
4. Sodium Periodate vs Sodium Metaperiodate in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Sodium Periodate vs Sodium Metaperiodate 

What is Sodium Periodate?

Sodium periodate is an inorganic compound having the chemical formula NaIO4. It is an inorganic salt consisting of a sodium cation and a periodate anion. We can call it the sodium salt of periodic acid. Similar to many other periodates, this substance also can exist in different forms, such as sodium metaperiodate form and sodium orthoperiodate form. Both these types are useful oxidizing agents.

Sodium periodate appears as white crystals that are soluble in water. This substance is also soluble in acids. Typically, this substance is prepared in the form of sodium hydrogen periodate that is commercially available. Moreover, we can produce sodium periodate through the oxidation of iodates with chlorine and sodium hydroxide or from iodides through oxidation with bromine and sodium hydroxide. However, modern industrial preparations include electrochemical oxidation of iodates on a PbO2 anode.

What is Sodium Metaperiodate?

Sodium metaperiodate is an inorganic chemical compound, and it is a derivative of sodium periodate. It is important as a source of periodic acid, an analytical agent, and an oxidizing agent, which is involved in the oxidation of cellulose. Furthermore, this substance is involved in the cleavage of vicinal diols to prepare two aldehydes.

This compound typically occurs in the sodium metaperiodate trihydrate form. This form of sodium periodate can be typically prepared by the dehydration of sodium hydrogen periodate with nitric acid. In addition, we can do that by dehydrating orthoperiodic acid using a heat treatment to the reaction mixture to 100 Celsius degrees under vacuum conditions.

What is the Difference Between Sodium Periodate and Sodium Metaperiodate?

Sodium periodate and sodium metaperiodate are inorganic sodium salt compounds. Sodium periodate is an inorganic compound having the chemical formula NaIO4. Sodium metaperiodate is an inorganic chemical compound, and it is a derivative of sodium periodate. The key difference between sodium periodate and sodium metaperiodate is that sodium periodate is a hypovalent compound, whereas sodium metaperiodate is a hypervalent compound. Moreover, we can prepare sodium periodate from the oxidation of iodates with chlorine and sodium hydroxide or from iodides through oxidation with bromine and sodium hydroxide. On the other hand, we prepare sodium metaperiodate by the dehydration of sodium hydrogen periodate with nitric acid.

Below is a summary of the difference between sodium periodate and sodium metaperiodate in tabular form for side by side comparison.

Summary – Sodium Periodate vs Sodium Metaperiodate

Sodium periodate is an inorganic compound having the chemical formula NaIO4, while sodium metaperiodate is an inorganic chemical compound and it is a derivative of sodium periodate. The key difference between sodium periodate and sodium metaperiodate is that sodium periodate is a hypovalent compound, whereas sodium metaperiodate is a hypervalent compound.

Reference:

1. “Sodium metaperiodate trihydrate.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubChem Compound Database.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Natriumperjodaat t” By Dr.T – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Metaperiodat-Ion” By NEUROtiker – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia