Sodium dithionate

It should not be confused with sodium dithionite, Na2S2O4, which is a very different compound, and is a powerful reducing agent with many uses in chemistry and biochemistry.

Confusion between dithionate and dithionite is commonly encountered, even in manufacturers' catalogues.

[2] Large single crystals of (Na2S2O6·2H2O) have been grown and studied for pulsed lasing purposes (pico second spectroscopy) with great success by E. Haussühl and cols.

[3] Sodium dithionate is a very stable compound which is not oxidized by permanganate, dichromate or bromine.

It can be oxidized to sulfate under strongly oxidizing conditions: these include boiling for one hour with 5 M sulfuric acid with an excess of potassium dichromate, or treating with an excess of hydrogen peroxide then boiling with concentrated hydrochloric acid.

Two sodium cations and one dithionate anion
Two sodium cations and one dithionate anion
Ball-and-stick model of the component ions
Ball-and-stick model of the component ions
NFPA 704 four-colored diamond Health 3: Short exposure could cause serious temporary or residual injury. E.g. chlorine gas Flammability 0: Will not burn. E.g. water Instability 0: Normally stable, even under fire exposure conditions, and is not reactive with water. E.g. liquid nitrogen Special hazards (white): no code