Cobalt Catalyst and the Activated Complex

What does it take to oxidize a simple organic compound? Will mighty hydrogen peroxide do the trick? No—it takes a little pink catalyst. When cobalt chloride is added to a hot mixture of potassium sodium tartrate and hydrogen peroxide, the solution immediately turns green and begins to bubble vigorously. When the bubbling subsides, the original pink color of the catalyst returns. Follow the path of a cobalt ion catalyst as it gets swept up in the reaction pathway, changes into something different and reappears.