Theoretical study on the oxidation mechanism of thiourea by hydrogen peroxide with water and hydroxyl assistance

This article presents a theoretical study on the oxidation reaction of thiourea by hydrogen peroxide in water or alkaline solutions using density functional and ab initio theories. This work also focuses on the analysis of the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of the predicted oxidation mechanism of thiourea using density functional and ab initio theories. The calculated results show that the activation energies, activation enthalpies, and activation Gibbs free energies of the reaction decreased and the releasable reaction energies, enthalpies and Gibbs free energies increased with the cooperation of water or hydroxyl anion. We conclude that the oxidation reaction of thiourea by hydrogen peroxide in water or alkaline solutions was easier and more completed than that in the gas state. The calculated results are consistent with the experiments.