In chemistry, peroxycarbonate (sometimes peroxocarbonate, IUPAC name: oxocarbonate or oxidocarbonate) or percarbonate is a divalent anion with formula . It is an oxocarbon anion that consists solely of carbon and oxygen. It is the anion of peroxycarbonic acid also called hydroperoxyformic acid, .
The peroxycarbonate anion is formed, together with peroxydicarbonate , at the negative electrode during electrolysis of molten lithium carbonate. Lithium peroxycarbonate can be produced also by combining carbon dioxide with lithium hydroxide in concentrated hydrogen peroxide at −10 °C.
Electrolysis of a solution of lithium carbonate at -30° to -40 °C yields a solution of the Lithium percarbonate, which can liberate iodine from potassium iodide instantaneously. The crystalline salt has not been isolated.
The peroxycarbonate anion has been proposed as an intermediate to explain the catalytic effect of on the oxidation of organic compounds by .
The potassium and rubidium salts of the monovalent hydrogenperoxycarbonate anion (aka. hydroxycarbonate, biperoxycarbonate) have also been obtained.Mimoza Gjikaj (2001), "Darstellung und strukturelle Charakterisierung neuer Alkali- bzw. Erdalkalimetallperoxide, -hydrogenperoxide, -peroxocarbonate und -peroxohydrate" . Doctoral Thesis, University of Köln. 115 pages.M. Mehta and A. Adam (1998), Z. Kristallogr., Suppl. Issue 15 p. 53. Cited by Gjikaj.M. Mehta and A. Adam (1998), Z. Kristallogr., Suppl. Issue 15 p. 46. Cited by Gjikaj.
See also Sodium percarbonate, actually a perhydrate of sodium carbonate. Sodium peroxycarbonate Orthocarbonate anion Dipropyl peroxydicarbonate
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