why is sodium chlorate useful?
<answer> It is an odorless pale yellow to white crystalline solid. It is appreciably soluble in water and heavier, so may be expected to sink and dissolve at a rapid rate. <context> In organic synthesis, sodium chlorite is frequently used as a reagent in the Pinnick oxidation for the oxidation of aldehydes to carboxylic acids. The reaction is usually performed in monosodium phosphate buffered solution in the presence of a chlorine scavenger (usually 2-methyl-2-butene).