The stoichiometries, kinetics and mechanism of the reduction of tetraoxoiodate(VII) ion, IO 4 -to the corresponding trioxoiodate(V) ion, IO 3 -by n-(2-hydroxylethyl)ethylenediaminetriacetatocobaltate(II) ion, [CoHED-TAOH 2 ] -have been studied in aqueous media at 28°C, I = 0.50 mol dm -3 (NaClO 4 ) and [H ? ] = 7.0 9 10 -3 mol dm -3 . The reaction is first order in [Oxidant] and [Reductant], and the rate is inversely dependent on H ? concentration in the range 5.00 9 10 -3 B H ? B 20.00 9 10 -3 mol dm -3 studied. A plot of acid rate constant versus [H ? ] -1 was linear with intercept. The rate law for the reaction is:where a = 8.0 9 10 -4 s -1 and b = 8.40 9 10 -3 dm 3 mol -1 s -1 . Positive salt effect was observed from the rate dependence on ionic strength studies, and added ion showed catalysis of reaction rate. An outer-sphere mechanism is proposed for the reaction.