The dissociation of protons from oxalic acid proceeds in a stepwise manner; as for other polyprotic acids, loss of a single proton results in the monovalent hydrogenoxalate anion HC2O−4. A salt with this anion is sometimes called an acid oxalate, monobasic oxalate, or hydrogen oxalate. The equilibrium constant (Ka) for loss of the first proton is 5.37×10−2 (pKa = 1.27). The loss of the second proton, which yields the oxalate ion, has an equilibrium constant of 5.25×10−5 (pKa = 4.28). These values imply, in solutions with neutral pH, no oxalic acid and only trace amounts of hydrogen oxalate exist.[3] The literature is often unclear on the distinction between H2C2O4, HC2O−4, and C2O2−4, and the collection of species is referred to as oxalic acid.[citation needed]
Structure
The oxalate anion exists in a nonplanar conformation where the O–C–C–O dihedrals approach 90° with approximate D2d symmetry.[4] When chelated to cations, oxalate adopts the planar, D2h conformation.[5][6] However, in the structure of caesium oxalateCs2C2O4 the O–C–C–O dihedral angle is 81(1)°.[7][8] Therefore, Cs2C2O4 is more closely approximated by a D2d symmetry structure because the two CO2 planes are staggered. Two structural forms of rubidium oxalateRb2C2O4 have been identified by single-crystal X-ray diffraction: one contains a planar and the other a staggered oxalate.
Planar conformation found in potassium oxalate K2C2O4[8][10]
The barrier to rotation about this bond is calculated to be roughly 2–6 kcal/mol for the free dianion, C2O2−4.[11][12][13] Such results are consistent with the interpretation that the central C−C bond is regarded as a single bond with minimal π interactions between the two CO−2 units.[4] This barrier to rotation about the C−C bond (which formally corresponds to the difference in energy between the planar and staggered forms) may be attributed to electrostatic interactions as unfavorable O−O repulsion is maximized in the planar form.
Occurrence in nature
Oxalate occurs in many plants, where it is synthesized by the incomplete oxidation of saccharides.
Several plant foods such as the root and/or leaves of spinach, rhubarb, and buckwheat are high in oxalic acid and can contribute to the formation of kidney stones in some individuals. Other oxalate-rich plants include fat hen ("lamb's quarters"), sorrel, and several Oxalis species (also sometimes called sorrels). The root and/or leaves of rhubarb and buckwheat are high in oxalic acid.[14] Other edible plants with significant concentrations of oxalate include, in decreasing order, star fruit (carambola), black pepper, parsley, poppy seed, amaranth, chard, beets, cocoa, chocolate, most nuts, most berries, fishtail palms, New Zealand spinach (Tetragonia tetragonioides), and beans.[citation needed]
Leaves of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis) contain among the greatest measured concentrations of oxalic acid relative to other plants. However, the drink derived by infusion in hot water typically contains only low to moderate amounts of oxalic acid due to the small mass of leaves used for brewing.[citation needed]
Scanning electron micrograph of the surface of a kidney stone showing tetragonal crystals of weddellite (calcium oxalate dihydrate) emerging from the amorphous central part of the stone; the horizontal length of the picture represents 0.5 mm of the figured original.
Oxalate also forms coordination compounds where it is sometimes abbreviated as ox. It is commonly encountered as a bidentate ligand. When the oxalate chelates to a single metal center, it always adopts the planar conformation. As a bidentate ligand, it forms a 5-membered MC2O2 ring. An illustrative complex is potassium ferrioxalate, K3[Fe(C2O4)3]. The drug oxaliplatin exhibits improved water solubility relative to older platinum-based drugs, avoiding the dose-limiting side-effect of nephrotoxicity. Oxalic acid and oxalates can be oxidized by permanganate in an autocatalytic reaction. One of the main applications of oxalic acid is rust-removal, which arises because oxalate forms water-soluble derivatives with the ferric ion.
Excess
An excess oxalate level in the blood is termed hyperoxalemia, and high levels of oxalate in the urine is termed hyperoxaluria.
Acquired
Although unusual, consumption of oxalates (for example, the grazing of animals on oxalate-containing plants such as Bassia hyssopifolia, or human consumption of wood sorrel or, specifically in excessive quantities, black tea) may result in kidney disease or even death due to oxalate poisoning. The New England Journal of Medicine reported acute oxalate nephropathy "almost certainly due to excessive consumption of iced tea" in a 56-year-old man, who drank "sixteen 8-ounce glasses of iced tea daily" (roughly 3.8 liters). The authors of the paper hypothesized that acute oxalate nephropathy is an underdiagnosed cause of kidney failure and suggested thorough examination of patient dietary history in cases of unexplained kidney failure without proteinuria (an excess of protein in the urine) and with large amounts of calcium oxalate in urine sediment.[18]Oxalobacter formigenes in the gut flora may help alleviate this.[19]
^"oxalate(2−) (CHEBI:30623)". www.ebi.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 January 2019. oxalate(2−) (CHEBI:30623) is conjugate base of oxalate(1−) (CHEBI:46904) … oxalate(1−) (CHEBI:46904) is conjugate acid of oxalate(2−) (CHEBI:30623)
^In the figure 81(1)°, the (1) indicates that 1° is the standard uncertainty of the measured angle of 81°
^ abcDinnebier, Robert E.; Vensky, Sascha; Panthöfer, Martin; Jansen, Martin (2003). "Crystal and Molecular Structures of Alkali Oxalates: First Proof of a Staggered Oxalate Anion in the Solid State". Inorganic Chemistry. 42 (5): 1499–1507. doi:10.1021/ic0205536. PMID12611516.
^Clark, Timothy; Schleyer, Paul von Ragué (1981). "Conformational preferences of 34 valence electron A2X4 molecules: An ab initio Study of B2F4, B2Cl4, N2O4, and C 2O2− 4". Journal of Computational Chemistry. 2: 20–29. doi:10.1002/jcc.540020106. S2CID98744097.
^Dewar, Michael J.S.; Zheng, Ya-Jun (1990). "Structure of the oxalate ion". Journal of Molecular Structure: THEOCHEM. 209 (1–2): 157–162. doi:10.1016/0166-1280(90)85053-P.
^Herbert, John M.; Ortiz, J. V. (2000). "Ab Initio Investigation of Electron Detachment in Dicarboxylate Dianions". The Journal of Physical Chemistry A. 104 (50): 11786–11795. Bibcode:2000JPCA..10411786H. doi:10.1021/jp002657c.
^Pabuççuoğlu, Uğur (2005). "Aspects of oxalosis associated with aspergillosis in pathology specimens". Pathology – Research and Practice. 201 (5): 363–368. doi:10.1016/j.prp.2005.03.005. PMID16047945.
Ulmgren, Per; Rådeström, Rune (1999). "Solubility of calcium oxalate in the presence of magnesium ions, and solubility of magnesium oxalate in sodium chloride medium". Nordic Pulp & Paper Research Journal. 14 (4): 330–335. doi:10.3183/npprj-1999-14-04-p330-335. ISSN2000-0669. S2CID96834193.
External links
Oxalate.org - Oxalate content of 750+ foods from university and government sources
Oxalatecontent.com - Oxalate content database based on the latest trustworthy studies
