Gold Dissolution Electrocatalysis in Thiourea Electrolytes in the Presence of Chemisorbed Sulfide Ions

Adding a microscopic quantity of sodium sulfide (～10^?5 M) into acid solutions of thiourea leads to a dramatic acceleration of anodic dissolution of gold. The acceleration effect is greater at larger thiourea concentrations (c) and longer times of the electrode contact with solution (Δt) before the beginning of measurements. The effect diminishes after a polarization curve passes through a maximum at E ? 0.5 V. Regularities of the gold dissolution in a solution containing 0.1 M thiourea and 0.5 M H₂SO₄ at given values of c and Δt are studied with use made of the technique of renewing the electrode surface by cutting off a thin surface layer of metal. The discovered regularities are given an explanation which is based on the assumption that the dissolution process is catalyzed by sulfide ions adsorbed on the electrode surface.