Disproportionation

Disproportionation, sometimes called dismutation, is a redox reaction in which a compound of intermediate oxidation state converts to two different compounds, one of higher and one of lower oxidation states. Although not widely accepted, disproportionation is sometimes used to describe any desymmetrizing reaction of the following type: 2 A → A' + A', regardless of any redox process. Disproportionation, sometimes called dismutation, is a redox reaction in which a compound of intermediate oxidation state converts to two different compounds, one of higher and one of lower oxidation states. Although not widely accepted, disproportionation is sometimes used to describe any desymmetrizing reaction of the following type: 2 A → A' + A', regardless of any redox process. Mercury(I) chloride disproportionates upon UV-irradiation: Phosphorous acid disproportionates upon heating to give phosphoric acid and phosphine: