Dithionite Preparation and Purification

N.B. Many of the publications that use dithionite give an "in house" method for the preparation of pure dithionite from commercial samples that are in fact some form of simplification of reference 3 below, see for example the experimental section of these papers (LINK and LINK). In addition the X-ray structural references below all have specific syntheses (such as LINK which gives the synthesis for SnS2O4 as metallic tin in 7.5% water in liquid sulphur dioxide with time)

1. Indust. Engineer. Chem., 1969: Title: Formation of Sodium Dithionite from Sodium Amalgam and Sulfur Dioxide [old school industrial preparation] LINK


2. US Military Research Report, 1988: Title : Investigation of Li/SO2 Cell Hazards. 3. RamanSpectroscopy of Lithium Dithionite. [Raman spectroscopy reveals that lithium dithionite undergoes a low temperature lattice transformation that demonstrates the existence of two forms of dithionite. Transition metal ions were briefly evaluated] LINK


3. Biochimica Biophysica Acta, 1991: Title: A Method for Preparing Analytically Pure Sodium Dithionite [Detailed review of prior syntheses and methods with detailed procedure for purification] LINK


4. US Patent, 1992: Title: Stabilized Sodium Dithionite [additives to industrial lots of dithionite can reduce decomposition] LINK

5. J. Chromatog., 1992: Title: CLIX*. Determination of dithionite (S2O4)2- and hydroxymethanesulphinate (HOCH2S02; Rongalite) by ion-pair chromatography [Chromatographic method of preparing pure dithionite, good discussion of impurities generated by decomposition in aqueous solutions] LINK

6. J. Electrochem. Soc., 1998: Title: Electrosynthesis of sodium hydrosulfite - II. The effect of cathode material [method of synthesis that eliminates thiosulphate impurity] LINK


7. Online Patent, Current: Title: Process for Producing Dithionites [gives detailed small batch synthesis via formate] LINK