Potassium Dichromate -- K₂Cr₂O₇

Potassium dichromate, K₂Cr₂O₇, is one of the two chapter-defining named compounds of transition-metal chemistry studied here in full depth (the other being potassium permanganate, section 4.4.3). This introductory section previews the full arc that the following five sub-sections develop in turn: how the compound is manufactured industrially, starting from naturally occurring chromite ore (4.4.2.1); its physical appearance and behaviour (4.4.2.2); the precise molecular/ionic structure of the chromate and dichromate oxoanions, including their interconversion in solution (4.4.2.3); its rich chemistry as a powerful oxidising agent across a range of sub …