Fe(III)/Fe(II) separation by solvent extraction for the determination of oxygen stoichiometry in yttrium barium copper oxide superconductor materials

Summary Oxygen stoichiometry is a critical parameter defining the T_c of cuprate superconductors (e.g. YBa₂Cu₃O₇). On dissolution excess or deficiency of oxygen can be converted into shifts of the Fe(II)/Fe(III) concentration ratio of an aqueous solution. For small samples a solvent extraction technique for the separation of Fe(III) from Fe(II) was developed, to make use of the superior sensitivity of atomic spectrometry (AAS, ICP-AES). The system n-benzoylphenylhydroxylamine (BPHA)/CHCl₃ was chosen because it is relatively inactive as a redox partner. Despite the catalytic effect of Cu(II) on the oxidation of Fe(II), oxidation blanks can be kept down at negligible levels. Less than 0.55% of residual Fe(II) is converted to Fe(III) during the extraction procedure (argon atmosphere). In the presence of air, oxidation levels are still practical (3%). Extraction is from 0.3 mol/l HBr providing excellent recovery of Fe(III) (e.g. 98.8%). All Fe(II), Y, Ba (including BaSO₄ precipitate) and 99.4% of the Cu remain in the aqueous phase. Fe(III) is rapidly back-extracted into an aqueous phase by 6 mol/l HCl for dilution and aspiration into the flame or ICP. Recovery of Fe(III) after the two extraction steps is still 98.3%.     

Predominance-zone diagrams of Fe(III) and Fe(II) sulfate complexes in acidic media. Voltammetric and spectrophotometric studies

A thermodynamic study based on concepts of generalized species and equilibria, was used to understand the distribution of Fe(III) and Fe(II) species in the Fe(III)/Fe(II)/H(2)SO(4)/H(2)O system. The two-dimensional predominance zone diagrams (TDPZ) and Pourbaix type diagrams thus obtained permitted the selection of optimum experimental conditions, to differentiate the chemical species involved in this system. The existence of the different predominant chemical species for Fe(III): Fe(3+), FeSO(+)(4) and Fe(SO(4))(-)(2) was evidenced by spectrophotometrical studies for pSO'(4) values from 4 to 0 units in a buffered solution of pH 0.5. Additionally, voltammetric studies performed on Pt, Au and carbon paste electrodes confirmed that the electron exchange between Fe(III) Fe(II) in H(2)SO(4) media occurs by an inner Helmholtz layer mechanism. It was also possible to show that the representative couples at pSO'(4) = 0 (buffered) are: (a) for pH < 0 FeSO (+)(4)FeHSO (+)(4) and (b) for pH > 1.0: Fe(SO (4)) (-)(2)FeHSO (+)(4). The last couple presents a coupled chemical reaction in the electrochemical mechanism; this reaction is associated with the different coordination numbers of Fe(III) and Fe(II).     

Amperometric method for the determination of myoglobin based on the electrochemical reduction on the glassy carbon electrode

An irreversible reduction peak of oxymyoglobin (MbO₂) was observed on the bare glassy carbon electrode (GCE) in acetate buffer solution under atmospheric conditions. It is the reduction of bonded oxygen in Mb, but not the heme Fe(III)/Fe(II) redox couple that underwent electrochemical reaction on the electrode. The peak current achieved a maximum value in acetate buffer solution of pH 4.0. The peak potential was pH dependent, suggesting that the proton was involved in the electrochemical reaction. Furthermore, the peak current was linearly related to the concentration of myoglobin in the range of 2.5 × 10^–8～ 1.0 × 10^–6 mol · L^–1 with a detection limit of 5 × 10^–9 mol · L^–1.     

Heme Fe?SO2− intermediates in sulfite reduction: Contrasts with Fe?OO2− species from oxygen–oxygen bond activating systems

Sulfite reductase (SiR) catalyzes a six electron and six proton reduction of sulfite to sulfide. Similarly to the cytochrome P450 (cytP450) family, the active site in SiR contains a (partially reduced) heme bound axially to a cysteinate ligand—though with an extra Fe₄S₄ cluster. Fe(III) SO²⁻, Fe(III) SOH⁻, and Fe(III) SO(H₂) intermediates have been proposed for the catalytic cycle of SiR, leading to a formally Fe(V)S species—akin to the widely accepted reaction mechanism in cytP450. Here, density functional theory (DFT) data is reported for of such FeSO(H₂) intermediates. The Fe(III) SO²⁻ models display relatively high energies for homolytic bond breaking compared to their isomeric oxygen‐bound Fe(III) OS²⁻ models, and thus offer a better alternative in terms of avoiding radical side products able to induce enzyme suicide. This could be due to the fact that the (iron‐bound) sulfur is more active from a redox standpoint compared to oxygen, thus permitting the departing oxygen to maintain a redox‐inert state. Di‐protonation of the oxygen is computed to lead to a compound I type Fe(IV)S coupled to a porphyrin radical anion—consistent with an intermediate previously observed by x‐ray crystallography.     

Direct Electrochemistry of Catalase at a Gold Electrode Modified with Single‐Wall Carbon Nanotubes

The direct electrochemistry of catalase (Ct) was accomplished at a gold electrode modified with single‐wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). A pair of well‐defined redox peaks was obtained for Ct with the reduction peak potential at ?0.414 V and a peak potential separation of 32 mV at pH 5.9. Both reflectance FT‐IR spectra and the dependence of the reduction peak current on the scan rate revealed that Ct adsorbed onto the SWNT surfaces. The redox wave corresponds to the Fe(III)/Fe(II) redox center of the heme group of the Ct adsorbate. Compared to other types of carbonaceous electrode materials (e.g., graphite and carbon soot), the electron transfer rate of Ct redox reaction was greatly enhanced at the SWNT‐modified electrode. The peak current was found to increase linearly with the Ct concentration in the range of 8×10^?6–8×10^?5 M used for the electrode preparation and the peak potential was shown to be pH dependent. The catalytic activity of Ct adsorbates at the SWNTs appears to be retained, as the addition of H₂O₂ produced a characteristic catalytic redox wave. This work demonstrates that direct electrochemistry of redox‐active biomacromolecules such as metalloenzymes can be improved through the use of carbon nanotubes.     

Oxidative Alkoxylation of Hypophosphite in Coordination Sphere of Iron(III)

The kinetics of oxidation of sodium hypophosphite with oxygen in Fe(III) alcoholic solutions is studied. At 50-90°C, hypophosphite was found to be oxidized to dialkyl phosphite (RO)₂HPO, di-, and trialkyl phosphates (RO)₂(OH)PO, (RO)₃PO. The redox potentiometry, IR, UV, EPR, Mössbauer, and ³¹P NMR spectroscopies, X-ray powder diffraction analysis, and gas-liquid chromatography were used to determine the key stages of the process: the Fe(III) reduction with hypophosphite with the formation of the phosphorus ethers and the reoxidation of Fe(II) with oxygen. The molar ratio of the products depends on the composition of the Fe(III) coordination sphere.     

Silicotungstic acid modified Ce‐Fe‐Ox catalyst for selective catalytic reduction of NOx with NH3: Effect of the amount of HSiW

The HSiW(x)/Ce‐Fe catalysts were used to research the effect of silicotungstic acid contents on the catalytic activity in the selective catalytic reduction of NO_x with NH₃. Doping different contents of silicotungstic acid affected surface species and redox property as well as the catalytic activity. With the increasing amount of HSiW (x = 5%, 10% and 20%), the redox reaction between Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ and Ce⁴⁺/Ce³⁺ enhanced, which could improve the ratio of Ce³⁺ and Fe³⁺. And then, more Ce³⁺ increased the ratio of chemisorbed oxygen (O_α). Besides, the type and strength of acid sites over HSiW(_x)/Ce‐Fe was affected by the HSiW contents. These factors facilitated the catalytic performance. Thus, the NO_x conversion of HSiW(x)/Ce‐Fe(x = 20%) was higher than 90%, which maintained in a wide temperature range between 200 and 400 °C.     

Elimination of 4‐chlorophenol in aqueous solution by the Novel Pd/MIL‐101(Cr)‐Hydrogen‐Accelerated catalytic fenton system

Excessive consumption of Fe (II) and massive generation of sludge containing Fe (III) from classic Fenton process remains a major obstacle for its poor recycling of Fe (III) to Fe (II). Therefore, the MHACF‐MIL‐101(Cr) system, by introducing H₂, Pd⁰ and MIL‐101(Cr) into Fenton reaction system, was developed at normal temperature and pressure. In this system, the reduction of Fe^III back to Fe^II by solid catalyst Pd/MIL‐101(Cr) for the storage and activation of H₂, was accelerated significantly by above 10‐fold and 5‐fold controlled with the H₂‐MIL‐101(Cr) system and H₂‐Pd⁰ system, respectively. However, the concentration of Fe (II) generated by the reduction of Fe (III) could not be detected with the only input of H₂ and without the addition of MOFs material. In addition, the apparent consumption of Fe (II) in MHACF‐MIL‐101(Cr) system was half of that in classical Fenton system, while more Fe (II) might be reused infinitely in fact. Accordingly, only trace amount of Fe (II) vs H₂O₂ concentration was needed and hydroxyl radicals through the detection of para‐hydroxybenzoic acid (p‐HBA) as the oxidative product of benzoic acid (BA) by·OH could be continuously generated for the effective degradation of 4‐chlorophenol(4‐CP). The effects of initial pH, concentration of 4‐CP, dosage of Fe²⁺, H₂O₂ and Pd/MIL‐101(Cr) catalyst, Pd content and H₂ flow were investigated, combined with systematic controlled experiments. Moreover, the robustness and morphology change of Pd/MIL‐101(Cr) were thoroughly analyzed. This study enables better understanding of the H₂‐mediated Fenton reaction enhanced by Pd/MIL‐101(Cr) and thus, will shed new light on how to accelerate Fe (III)/Fe (II) redox cycle and develop more efficient Fenton system.     

Electrochemical characterization of the redox couple of Fe(III)/Fe(II) mediated by grafted polymer reference electrode (GPRE)

A grafted polymer reference electrode (GPRE) (polystyrene grafted with acrylonitrile as a monomer using gamma irradiation) was fabricated as a reference electrode using cyclic voltammetry (CV). The redox process of K₃Fe(CN)₆ during CV was studied. It was found that the redox current peaks of Fe(II)/Fe(III) in 0.1 M of KCl as supporting electrolyte is given the same oxidation–reduction current as in the Ag/AgCl reference electrode, indicating a good result of GPRE and, hence, it can be used for voltammetric analysis technique. The physical properties of GPRE include good hardness, insoluble in non-aqueous electrolytes (except dimethyl formamide and chloroform), and good stability at different solvents. In addition, the sensitivity under conditions of CV is significantly dependent on the scan rate (SR) and variation in concentration. At different SRs, redox peaks of K₃Fe(CN)₆ were observed in a reversible process: Fe(II)/Fe(III). Interestingly, the redox reaction of Fe(II)/Fe(III) solution using GCE versus GPRE remains constant even after 15 cyclings. It is therefore evident that the GPRE possesses some degree of stability. Also, the new reference electrode GPRE has improved the properties of electroanalysis of CV on the working electrode GCE in reliability with the relative standard deviation.     

Direct electrochemistry of hemoglobin immobilized in the sodium alginate and SiO2 nanoparticles bionanocomposite film on a carbon ionic liquid electrode

In this paper a carbon ionic liquid electrode (CILE) was fabricated by using a room temperature ionic liquid of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (BMIMPF₆) as binder. By using the CILE as basal electrode, the hemoglobin (Hb) molecule was immobilized on the surface of CILE with a sodium alginate (SA) hydrogel and SiO₂ nanoparticles organic-inorganic composite material. The direct electrochemical behaviors of Hb in the bionanocomposite film were further studied in a pH 7.0 Britton-Robinson (B-R) buffer solution. A pair of well-defined quasi-reversible cyclic voltammetric peaks of Hb was obtained on SA/nano-SiO₂/Hb/CILE with the formal potential (E^0’) at -0.355 V (vs. SCE), which was the characteristic of heme Fe(III)/Fe(II) redox couples. The formal potential of Hb Fe(III)/Fe(II) couple shifted negatively with increasing pH of solution with a slope of -45.2 mV/pH, which indicated that a one electron transfer accompanied with one proton transportation. The immobilized Hb showed good electrocatalytic manner to the reduction of trichloroacetic acid (TCA).     

Cyclic voltammetric study of the redox behavior of Fe(II)/Fe(III) systems forming during the oxidation of Fe(II) complexes with saccharin and with saccharin and 1,10-phenanthroline

The electrochemical redox behavior of Fe(II)/Fe(III) systems formed during the oxidation of complexes [Fe(C₇H₄NO₃S)₂(H₂O)₄] · 2H₂O (Fe-sac) and [Fe(C₇H₄NO₃S)₂(C₁₂H₈N₂] · 2H₂O (Fe-sac-phen) have been investigated using cyclic voltammetry in the aqueous medium. In the CVs one pair of well-defined cathodic and anodic peaks appear for the transfer of single electron in the Fe-sac complex. The peak potentials are much wider separated as compared with the free (uncoordinated) Fe(II)/Fe(III) system. The ΔE values demonstrate that the electrode process is irreversible. In the presence of secondary ligand, 1,10-phenanthroline (Fe-sac-phen complex), the redox behavior of iron complexes is quasireversible. The effect of pH on the redox behavior of iron system is studied in acetate buffer. Published in Russian in Elektrokhimiya, 2008, Vol. 44, No. 12, pp. 1504–1509. The text was submitted by author in English     

Dioxygen activation with a cytochrome P450 model. Characterization and electrochemical study of new unsymmetrical tetradentate Schiff-base complexes with iron(III) and cobalt(II)

Salicylaldehyde or 5-bromosalicylaldehyde react with 2,3-diaminophenol to give two unsymmetrical Schiff-bases H₂L¹, H₂L², respectively. With Fe(III) and Co(II), these ligands lead to four complexes: Fe(III)ClL¹, Fe(III)ClL², Co(II)L¹, Co(II)L². The structures of these complexes were determined by mass spectroscopy, infrared and electronic spectra. Cyclic voltammetry in dimethylformamide (DMF) showed irreversible waves for both ligands. In the same experimental conditions, Fe(III)ClL¹ exhibited a reversible redox couple Fe(III)/Fe(II) while the three other complexes showed quasi-reversible systems. The behavior of some of these complexes in the presence of dioxygen and the comparison with cytochrome P450 are described.     

Role of oxygen in the degradation of atrazine by UV/Fe(III) process

In this study, the role of oxygen in the regeneration of Fe(III) during the degradation of atrazine in UV/Fe(III) process was studied. The degradations of atrazine in UV/Fe(III) and UV-photolysis processes in the presence and absence of oxygen were compared. The results showed that the degradations of atrazine in these processes followed the pseudo-first-order kinetics well. The process exhibiting the highest rate constant (k) was UV/Fe(III)/air process, because k-value for UV/Fe(III)/air process was about 1.47, 2.23 and 2.56 times of those for UV/Fe(III)/N₂, UV/air and UV/N₂ processes, respectively. The degradation of atrazine was enhanced by oxygen in UV/Fe(III) process and the enhancement was more remarkable at higher initial concentrations of Fe(III). The investigation into the changes of Fe(III) concentrations demonstrated that the presence of oxygen led to the regeneration of Fe(III), which resulted in the enhancement of atrazine degradation. With air bubbling, the ferric ions were 25% more than those with N₂ bubbling. The experimental data showed the regeneration of Fe(III) required the excited organic molecules and oxygen and on the basis of these results, the regeneration mechanism of Fe(III) was proposed. It was also found that due to the oxidation of Fe(II), the degradation of atrazine in UV/Fe(II)/air process was effective at a low Fe(II) concentration of 7 mg/L, similar to that in UV/Fe(III)/air process. This study makes clear the role of oxygen in the regeneration of Fe(III), and thus it provides a guide to reduce the input of Fe(III) and is helpful to the application of UV/Fe(III) process in practice.     

A study on dismutation mechanism of superoxide ion by a macrocyclic copper(II) complex of dioxotetraamine

The mechanism of catalytic dismutation of superoxide anion by copper(II) complex of 12-(4′-nitro)-benzyl-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclotridecane-11,13-dione was studied by using pulse radiolysis and cyclic voltammetry. The redox potential of Cu(II)/Cu(III) was obtained to be E⁰=0.590 V (SCE) in solution of 0.5 mol·dm⁻³ Na₂SO₄. The rate constant of catalytic dismutation was determined to be k_cat=1.9×10⁶ (pH=7.0) and 1.1×10⁶ mol·dm³·s⁻¹ (pH=7.8) by pulse radiolysis and it was suggested that mechanism of catalytic dismutation of O₂⁻ is alternate oxidation and reduction of Cu(II) complex by O₂⁻.     

Electropolymerization of iron tetra(<Emphasis Type="Italic">o</Emphasis>-aminophenyl)porphyrin from aqueous solution and the electrocatalytic behavior of modified electrode

Stable electroactive iron tetra(o-aminophenyl)porphyrin (FeTAPP) films are prepared by electropolymerization from aqueous solution by cycling the electrode potential between −0.4 and 1.0 V vs Ag/AgCl at 0.1 V s⁻¹. The cyclic voltammetric response indicates that polymerization takes place after the oxidation of amino groups, and the films could be produced on glassy carbon (GC) and gold electrodes. The film growth of poly(FeTAPP) was monitored by using cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance. The cyclic voltammetric features of Fe(III)/Fe(II) redox couple in the film resembles that of surface confined redox species. The electrochemical response of the modified electrode was found to be dependent on the pH of the contacting solution with a negative shift of 57 mV/pH. The electrocatalytic behavior of poly(FeTAPP) film-modified electrode was investigated towards reduction of hydrogen peroxide, molecular oxygen, and chloroacetic acids (mono-, di-, and tri-). The reduction of hydrogen peroxide, molecular oxygen, and dichloroacetic acid occurred at less negative potential on poly(FeTAPP) film compared to bare GC electrode. Particularly, the overpotential of hydrogen peroxide was reduced substantially. The O₂ reduction proceeds through direct four-electron reduction mechanism.     

Amperometric method for the determination of myoglobin based on the electrochemical reduction on the glassy carbon electrode

An irreversible reduction peak of oxymyoglobin (MbO₂) was observed on the bare glassy carbon electrode (GCE) in acetate buffer solution under atmospheric conditions. It is the reduction of bonded oxygen in Mb, but not the heme Fe(III)/Fe(II) redox couple that underwent electrochemical reaction on the electrode. The peak current achieved a maximum value in acetate buffer solution of pH 4.0. The peak potential was pH dependent, suggesting that the proton was involved in the electrochemical reaction. Furthermore, the peak current was linearly related to the concentration of myoglobin in the range of 2.5 × 10^–8∼ 1.0 × 10^–6 mol · L^–1 with a detection limit of 5 × 10^–9 mol · L^–1. Received: 20 March 1998 / Revised: 24 June 1998 / Accepted: 1 July 1998     

A Comparative Study of Functionalized High‐Purity Carbon Nanotubes towards the V(IV)/V(V) Redox Reaction Using Cyclic Voltammetry and Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy

Functionalized high purity carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with various amounts of oxygen containing surface groups were investigated towards the relevant redox reactions of the all‐vanadium redox flow battery. The quinone/hydroquinone redox peaks between 0.0 and 0.7 V vs. Ag|AgCl|KCl_sat. were used to quantifying the degree of functionalization and correlated to XPS results. Cyclic voltammetry in vanadyl sulfate‐containing 3 M H₂SO₄ as a common supporting electrolyte showed no influence of the amount of surface groups on the V(IV)/V(V) redox system. In contrast, the reactions occurring at the negative electrode (V(II)/V(III) and V(III)/V(IV)) are strongly affected by oxygen surface groups. However, under modified experimental conditions, SECM experiments detecting the consumption of VO²⁺ molecules by CNT thin films in pH=2 solution show improved onset potentials with increased surface oxygen content up to ∼ 3 at%. Further increase in surface oxygen up to 8 at% led to minor improvement. These dissimilar results under different experimental conditions are rationalized by suggesting that oxygen functional groups do not form the active site for the V(IV)/V(V) reaction but wetting of the catalyst layer is of high importance.     

A hydrogen peroxide biosensor based on Langmuir-Blodgett technique: Direct electron transfer of hemoglobin in octadecylamine layer

The present paper describes the modification of hemoglobin (Hb)-octadecylamine (ODA) Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) film on a gold electrode surface to develop a novel electrochemical biosensor for the detection of hydrogen peroxide. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) image of Hb-ODA LB film indicated Hb molecules existed in ODA layer in a well-ordered and compact form. The immobilized Hb displayed a couple of stable and well-defined redox peaks with an electron transfer rate constant of 4.58 ± 0.95 s⁻¹ and a formal potential of −185 mV (versus Ag/AgCl) in phosphate buffer (1.0 mM, pH 5.0) contain 0.1 M KCl at a scan rate of 200 mV s⁻¹, characteristic of Hb heme Fe(III)/Fe(II) redox couple. The formal potential of Hb heme Fe(III)/Fe(II) redox couple in ODA film shifted linearly between pH 5 and 8 with a slope of −23.8 mV pH⁻¹, suggesting that proton took part in electrochemical reaction. The ODA could accelerate the electron transfer between Hb and the electrode. This modified electrode showed an electrochemical activity to the reduction of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) without the aid of any electron mediator.     

The electrochemical reduction reaction of dissolved oxygen on Q235 carbon steel in alkaline solution containing chloride ions

Cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and rotating disk electrode voltammetry have been used to study the effect of chloride ions on the dissolved oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on Q235 carbon steel electrode in a 0.02 M calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)₂) solutions imitating the liquid phase in concrete pores. The results indicate that the cathodic process on Q235 carbon steel electrode in oxygen-saturated 0.02 M Ca(OH)₂ with different concentrations of chloride ions contain three reactions except hydrogen evolution: dissolved oxygen reduction, the reduction of Fe(III) to Fe(II), and then the reduction of Fe(II) to Fe. The peak potential of ORR shifts to the positive direction as the chloride ion concentration increases. The oxygen molecule adsorption can be inhibited by the chloride ion adsorption, and the rate of ORR decreases as the concentration of chloride ions increases. The mechanism of ORR is changed from 2e⁻ and 4e⁻ reactions, occurring simultaneously, to quietly 4e⁻ reaction with the increasing chloride ion concentration.     

Catalytic properties of metal-containing oxidized coal catalysts in some redox reactions

An increased activity in some redox reactions was observed for some metal ions bound by ion-exchange to oxidized coals. The similarity of the catalytic properties of oxidized coals modified by Fe(III), Cu(II), Mn(II) and other cations has been established for various redox reactions: decomposition of H₂O₂, oxidation of some organic and inorganic substances by hydrogen peroxide and oxygen. The catalytic activity of the modified coals depends on how the modifying additive is bonded to the surface and the amount of the dopant. New methods for the practical use of catalysts with regulated activity are noted. Translated from Teoreticheskiya i éksperimental’naya Khimiya, Vol. 33, No. 4, pp. 256–260, 1997.