Absorption of NO in an alkaline solution of KMnO4

A packed column has been used to study the absorption of nitrogen oxide in an alkaline solution of potassium permanganate. The reactions taking place during the absorption have been examined and the rate constants have been estimated from experimental data. The experiments show that potassium permanganate is an excellent absorbent for nitrogen oxide. However, to avoid formation of MnO₂, the hydroxide concentration has to be very high, i.e. > 3 mol/l. It was found that the reaction could be expressed as first-order with respect to NO and with respect to KMnO₄. The rate constant may be expressed in terms of the hydroxide concentration as follows: k_mn = 6114.9 10^{1.9208 C}NaOH m³ mol^?1 s^?1.