Electropolymerization of 3-methylthiophene at liquid 3-methylthiophene | aqueous solution | graphite three-phase junction

Droplets of 3-methylthiophene are mechanically attached to the surface of paraffin-impregnated graphite electrode (PIGE) and immersed into aqueous solution of LiClO₄. It is demonstrated that the oxidative electropolymerization (observed in non-aqueous solutions) can be accomplished by potential cycling between −0.3 and 1.4 V vs. saturated calomel electrode (SCE). Since the droplets do not contain a dissolved electrolyte, the electrochemical reaction starts at the very edge of the three-phase junction organic droplet | graphite | aqueous electrolyte.     

Probing carboxylate Gibbs transfer energies via liquid|liquid transfer at triple phase boundary electrodes: ion-transfer voltammetry versus COSMO-RS predictions

Understanding liquid|liquid ion transfer processes is important in particular for naturally occurring species such as carboxylates. In this study electrochemically driven mono-, di-, and tri-carboxylate anion transfer at the 4-(3-phenylpropyl)pyridine|aqueous electrolyte interface is investigated experimentally for a triple phase boundary system at graphite electrodes. The tetraphenylporphyrinato-Mn(III/II) redox system (Mn(III/II)TPP) dissolved in the water-immiscible organic phase (4-(3-phenylpropyl)pyridine) is employed for the quantitative study of the structure-Gibbs transfer energy correlation and the effects of the solution pH on the carboxylate transfer process. For di- and tri-carboxylates the partially protonated anions are always transferred preferentially even at a pH higher than the corresponding pK(a). COSMO-RS computer simulations are shown to provide a quantitative rationalisation as well as a powerful tool for predicting Gibbs free energy of transfer data for more complex functionalised carboxylate anions. It is shown that the presence of water in the organic phase has a major effect on the calculated Gibbs free energies.     

Voltammetry at a liquid–liquid interface supported on a metallic electrode

A liquid–liquid interface supported on a metallic electrode has been used to study ion transfer (IT) and electron transfer (ET) reactions by cyclic voltammetry. The system is composed of an aqueous droplet supported on a platinum disc electrode and immersed into an organic electrolyte solution. Depending on the nature of the dissolved species present in the aqueous solution, and in the organic electrolyte solution, different electrochemical coupled reactions can be observed. This method enables a fast and convenient method to measure standard transfer potentials for example of ionised drug molecules.     

Electroactive ceramic carbon electrode impregnated with organic liquid

The carbon ceramic electrodes impregnated with hydrophobic organic solvent (toluene, hexadecane, nitrobenzene) containing redox probe (decamethylferrocene) were prepared. The electrode material was obtained by sol–gel process. It consists of graphite powder homogeneously dispersed in hydrophobic silica matrix. After gelation and drying it was filled with organic liquid. The electrochemical properties of the electrode were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Approximately symmetric cyclic voltammograms were obtained with these electrodes immersed in aqueous electrolyte solution. Their shape and current magnitude and position on the potential scale depends on the organic solvent and the salt present in aqueous phase. It has been concluded that the mechanism of the electrode process involves electron transfer between graphite particle and the redox probe in organic phase, followed by anion transfer from the aqueous phase.     

Comparative study of the thermodynamics and kinetics of the ion transfer across the liquid/liquid interface by means of three-phase electrodes

A comparative study of the behavior of different sorts of three-phase electrodes applied for assessing the thermodynamics and kinetics of the ion transfer across the liquid/liquid (L/L) interface is presented. Two types of three-phase electrodes are compared, that is, a paraffin-impregnated graphite electrode at the surface of which a macroscopic droplet of an organic solvent is attached and an edge pyrolytic graphite electrode partly covered with a very thin film of the organic solvent. The organic solvent contains either decamethylferrocene or lutetium bis(tetra-tert-butylphthalocyaninato) as a redox probe. The role of the redox probe, the type of the electrode material, the mass transfer regime, and the effect of the uncompensated resistance are discussed. The overall electrochemical process at both three-phase electrodes proceeds as a coupled electron-ion transfer reaction. The ion transfer across the L/L interface, driven by the electrode reaction of the redox compound at the electrode/organic solvent interface, is independent of the type of redox probe. The ion transfer proceeds without involving any chemical coupling between the transferring ion and the redox probe. Both types of three-phase electrodes provide consistent results when applied for measuring the energy of the ion transfer. Under conditions of square-wave voltammetry, the coupled electron-ion transfer at the three-phase electrode is a quasireversible process, exhibiting the property known as "quasireversible maximum". The overall electron-ion transfer process at the three-phase electrode is controlled by the rate of the ion transfer. It is demonstrated for the first time that the three-phase electrode in combination with the quasireversible maximum is a new tool for assessing the kinetics of the ion transfer across the L/L interface.     

The determination of standard Gibbs energies of transfer of cations across the nitrobenzene|water interface using a three-phase electrode

A three-phase electrode consisting of a droplet of a nitrobenzene solution of iron(III) tetraphenyl porphyrine chloride (Fe(III)-TPP-Cl) attached to a graphite electrode and immersed in an aqueous electrolyte solution was applied to determine the standard Gibbs energies of transfer of cations between water and nitrobenzene. The reduction of Fe(III)-TPP-Cl prompts the transfer of the cations from the aqueous to the organic phase. The system is chemically and electrochemically reversible.     

Chiral recognition based on the kinetics of ion transfers across liquid/liquid interface

Three-phase electrodes in combination with square-wave voltammetry are applied to study the transfer kinetics of chiral anions from water to the chiral 2-octanol. The experimental system used consists of a pyrolytic graphite electrode partly modified with a thin film of one of the enantiomers of 2-octanol, which was immersed into an aqueous solution containing anions of chiral 2-chloropropionic acid, 2-bromopropionic acid, or lactic acid. It is demonstrated that the kinetics of the ion transfer is a stereoselective. The rate of the ion transfer is higher when uncomplimentary transferring ion–solvent chiral isomers are used, i.e., (R)-ion and (S)-solvent, or (S)-ion and (R)-solvent. To the best of our knowledge this is the first evidence for the difference in the ion transfer kinetics of chiral isomers across water/chiral organic solvent interface.     

Ion transfer at nanointerfaces between water and neat organic solvents

Nanopipet voltammetry was used for the first study of ion transfer (IT) reactions between aqueous solutions and neat organic solvents. An extremely wide ( approximately 10 V) polarization window obtained with no electrolyte added to the organic phase allows one to probe charge transfer reactions, which are not normally accessible by electrochemical techniques, for example, the transfer of l-alaninamide cation from water to 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE). While anions (e.g., chloride) and relatively hydrophobic cations (e.g., tetraalkylammonium ions) can be transferred from water to less polar neat solvents such as DCE, the transfers of strongly hydrated metal cations occur only in the presence of organic supporting electrolyte.     

A comparison of redox processes for polypyrrole/dodecylsulfate films in aqueous and non-aqueous media

Polypyrrole/dodecylsulfate (PPy/DDS) films were synthesized in aqueous and ethanolic solutions and investigated in aqueous, ethanolic, methanolic and acetonitrile solutions by cyclic voltammetry (CV). The amounts of anions and cations in the films before and after electrochemical treatment were determined by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA); the film morphology was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results prove that the mobility of bulky DDS^– ions in PPy increases in the order: water<acetonitrile<ethanol<methanol. It was found that dopant DDS^– ions can be easily removed from PPy matrix swollen in alcohols or acetonitrile by electrochemical reduction or by soaking in electrolyte solutions of these solvents. The influence of electrochemical treatment on the change of doping level in aqueous solution is essentially less and depends on the cations in the test solution. Although the electroneutrality of PPy/DDS films during redox cycling is realized mainly by movement of the cations in aqueous solution and by movement of the anions in organic solvents, nevertheless the participation of anions in aqueous and cations in organic solvents is also established. The redox properties of PPy/DDS are more dependent on the solvent of the test solutions than of the synthesis solutions. Electronic Publication     

A comparative study of the anion transfer kinetics across a water/nitrobenzene interface by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and square-wave voltammetry at thin organic film-modified electrodes

The kinetics of the transfer of a series of hydrophilic monovalent anions across the water/nitrobenzene (W/NB) interface has been studied by means of thin organic film-modified electrodes in combination with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and square-wave voltammetry. The studied ions are Cl-, Br-, I-, ClO4-, NO3-, SCN-, and CH3COO-. The electrode assembly comprises a graphite electrode (GE) covered with a thin NB film containing a neutral strongly hydrophobic redox probe (decamethylferrocene or lutetium bis(tetra-tert-butylphthalocyaninato)) and an organic supporting electrolyte. The modified electrode is immersed in an aqueous solution containing a supporting electrolyte and transferring ions, and used in a conventional three-electrode configuration. Upon oxidation of the redox probe, the overall electrochemical process proceeds as an electron-ion charge-transfer reaction coupling the electron transfer at the GE/NB interface and compensates ion transfer across the W/NB interface. The rate of the ion transfer across the W/NB interface is the limiting step in the kinetics of the overall coupled electron-ion transfer reaction. Moreover, the transferring ion that is initially present in the aqueous phase only at a concentration lower than the redox probe, controls the mass transfer regime in the overall reaction. A rate equation describing the kinetics of the ion transfer that is valid for the conditions at thin organic film-modified electrodes is derived. Kinetic data measured with two electrochemical techniques are in very good agreement.     

Quantification of the chiral recognition in electrochemically driven ion transfer across the interface water/chiral liquid

The electrochemically driven transfer of the chiral anions of d- and l-tryptophan across the interface water/chiral liquid (d- or l-menthol) is stereoselective, and it can be used to determine quantitatively the difference in Gibbs energies for the solvation of chiral ions in chiral liquids. The ion transfer can be achieved in a three-phase arrangement where a droplet of the chiral liquid containing decamethylferrocene as the electroactive redox probe is attached to a graphite electrode immersed in the aqueous solution containing the chiral ions.     

Fast electrochemical triple-interface processes at boron-doped diamond electrodes

Two important mechanisms for electron transfer processes at boron-doped diamond electrodes involving the oxidation of tetramethylphenylenediamine (TMPD) dissolved in aqueous solution and the oxidation of tetrahexylphenylenediamine (THPD) deposited in the form of microdroplets and immersed into aqueous eletrolyte solution are reported. For TMPD, the first oxidation step in aqueous solution follows the equation: Remarkably slow heterogeneous kinetics at a H-plasma-treated boron-doped diamond electrode are observed, consistent with a process following a pathway more complex than outer-sphere electron transfer. At the same boron-doped diamond electrode surface a deposit of THPD undergoes facile oxidation following the equation: This oxidation and re-reduction of the deposited liquid material occurs at the triple interface organic droplet|diamond|aqueous electrolyte and is therefore an example of a facile high-current-density process at boron-doped diamond electrodes due to good electrical contact between the deposit and the diamond surface. Received: 3 February 2000 / Accepted: 18 February 2000     

Thin‐Film Voltammetry of a Lutetium Bisphthalocyanine at Ionic Liquid|Water Interface

At room temperature, tetraoctylphosphonium bromide is a viscous ionic liquid, this gel‐like organic phase can be cast over a basal‐plane graphite electrode (BPGE). Cyclic voltammetry at such a modified electrode, in contact with an aqueous solution have revealed one reversible oxidation and five reversible reduction steps for a Lu^III bisphthalocyanine dissolved in the ionic liquid film, a proof that the highly reactive reduced species were protected from interaction with water in this highly lipophilic phase. It has also been shown that the redox properties are influenced by the ions in the aqueous phase, a property which has been attributed to ion‐pairing effects; obviously, the ion transfers at the organic|aqueous interface has been ignored. Electrochemistry of Lu(III)[(_tBu)₄Pc]₂ (cyclic voltammetry and square wave voltammetry) under similar conditions shows that the nature and concentration of the anion in the aqueous solution in contact with the ionic liquid film influences the potential of the electrode reaction. This can be attributed to variations of the interfacial potential and also because the organic phase is an anion exchanger. Moreover, SWV experiments suggest that the rate of the overall reaction varies with the nature and concentration of the anion of the aqueous electrolyte, which implies that the ion transfer through the organic|aqueous interface is slower than the electron exchange rate of the molecule at the surface of graphite.     

Catalytic Activity of Alkali Metal Cations for the Chemical Oxygen Reduction Reaction in a Biphasic Liquid System Probed by Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy

Chemical reduction of dioxygen in organic solvents for the production of reactive oxygen species or the concomitant oxidation of organic substrates can be enhanced by the separation of products and educts in biphasic liquid systems. Here, the coupled electron and ion transfer processes is studied as well as reagent fluxes across the liquid|liquid interface for the chemical reduction of dioxygen by decamethylferrocene (DMFc) in a dichloroethane-based organic electrolyte forming an interface with an aqueous electrolyte containing alkali metal ions. This interface is stabilized at the orifice of a pipette, across which a Galvani potential difference is externally applied and precisely adjusted to enforce the transfer of different alkali metal ions from the aqueous to the organic electrolyte. The oxygen reduction is followed by H₂O₂ detection in the aqueous phase close to the interface by a microelectrode of a scanning electrochemical microscope (SECM). The results prove a strong catalytic effect of hydrated alkali metal ions on the formation rate of H₂O₂, which varies systematically with the acidity of the transferred alkali metal ions in the organic phase.     

Ion insertion into ionic liquid supported toluene generated by electrochemical redox reaction

Ion transfer across the toluene|water, toluene–ionic liquid mixture|water and ionic liquid|water boundary generated by electrochemical redox reaction of tert-butylferrocene (tBuFc) was studied with the glassy carbon (GC) electrode partially covered by the organic liquid deposit and immersed in the aqueous electrolyte solution. The electrooxidation of the redox probe in toluene deposit is followed by ejection of newly formed cation into the aqueous solution. The same reaction in the toluene–ionic liquid deposit promotes anion insertion. This pathway is also found at the electrode modified with ionic liquid.     

An electrochemical method for determination of the standard Gibbs energy of anion transfer between water and n-octanol

The transfer of the ions Cl⁻, Br⁻, I⁻, ClO₄⁻, SCN⁻, NO₃⁻, BF₄⁻, and (C₆H₅)₄B⁻ across the water|n-octanol (W|OC) liquid interface was studied and the standard Gibbs energies of ion transfer were determined. The ion transfer was achieved by oxidation of decamethylferrocene dissolved in a droplet of n-octanol that was attached to a graphite electrode immersed in the aqueous solutions of the respective alkali salts of the anions. The electrode reaction can be described by the equation: dmfc_(OC)+X_(W)⁻⇄dmfc⁺_(OC)+X⁻_(OC)+e⁻, where X⁻ is the transferred anion. Square-wave voltammetry at this three-phase arrangement was utilised to determine the formal potential of the decamethylferrocene/decamethylferrocenium (dmfc/dmfc⁺) couple under the condition of ion transfer across the water|n-octanol interface. For calibration the standard Gibbs energies of ion transfer have been extrapolated to octanol from the series of known data for methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, and n-butanol. All these data are consistent and the experimental dependence of the formal potentials on the standard Gibbs energies is as predicted by theory. The validity of data is further supported by calculations of Gibbs energies of ion transfer using the Born theory. Until now it was not possible to perform electrochemical measurements at the water|n-octanol interface because in the conventional four-electrode cells this interface cannot be polarised. With the new method it is now for the first time possible to determine the Gibbs energies of transfer of ions across the water|n-octanol interface. These values are of very wide use for assessing the lipophilicity of compounds in chemistry, medicine, and pharmacology.     

Electrocatalytic Determination of Sulfite at Immobilized Microdroplet Liquid|Liquid Interfaces: The EIC′ Mechanism

Liquid|liquid interfaces provide a natural boundary and a reactive interface where an organic phase is in contact with an aqueous analyte. The selectivity of ion transfer processes at liquid|liquid interfaces can help to provide sensitivity, introduce reactive reagents, or allow analyte accumulation at the electrode surface. In this study, microdroplet deposits of the organic liquid 4‐(3‐phenylpropyl)‐pyridine (PPP) with the ferrocenylmethyl‐dodecyldimethylammonium⁺ (FDA⁺) redox system are deposited onto a basal plane pyrolytic graphite electrode and employed to transfer anions from the aqueous into the organic phase. A clear trend of more hydrophobic anions transferring more readily (at more negative potentials) is observed and an ESI‐mass spectrometry method is developed to confirm the transfer. Subsequently, the electrocatalytic oxidation of sulfite, SO₃^2?, within the organic phase and in the presence of different electrolyte anions is investigated. Competition between sulfite transfer and inert anion transfer occurs. The electrocatalytic sulfite oxidation is suppressed in the presence of PF₆^? and occurs most readily in the presence of the hydrophilic nitrate anion. The resulting process can be classified as an electrocatalytic EIC′‐process (E: electron transfer; I: ion transfer; C: chemical reaction step). The effectiveness of the electrocatalytic process is limited by i) competition during anion transfer and ii) the liquid|liquid interface acting as a diffusion barrier. The analytical sensitivity of the method is limited to ca. 100 μM SO₃^2? (or ca. 8 ppm) and potential approaches for improvement of this limit are discussed.     

Absolute electrode potential and thermodynamics of single ions

A new method, relating the electrode potential to the radius of the solvated ion on whose activity the potential depends, has been developed for the determination of absolute electrode potentials and the thermodynamics of single ions in solution. It is successfully applied to the cells: Pt|H₂(g, 1 atm)|HX, solvent |AgX|Ag, and M|MX, solvent|AgX|Ag, in aqueous, partially aqueous, and non-aqueous solvents. The absolute electrode potentials have been computed in aqueous and methanol+water solvents. The single ion activities, activity coefficients, the radii of solvated cations, and their solvation extent have been calculated. The temperature variation of the standard absolute potential has been utilized to evaluate the standard thermodynamic functions for the electrode reactions, and the standard transfer thermodynamic quantities of single ions from water to methanolic solvents. The results are interpreted in terms of ion—solvent interactions as well as the structural features and the acid—base properties of these solvents.     

Electrochemical Systems Based on Sol-Gel Silica Matrix Impregnated with Organic Solvent

Two electrochemical systems based on sol-gel silica matrix impregnated with organic solvent were prepared and studied. The first one is composed of tetramethylorthosilicate based material filled with ferrocene solution in polar solvent: propylene carbonate. Electrodes are immersed in this solid electrolyte during all stages of sol-gel process. Despite of the lack of the extra added salt, by using ultramicroelectrode, undistorted electrochemical signal corresponding to the electrooxidation of the ferrocene was obtained. Its diffusion coefficient within the sol-gel matrix depends on the time elapsed after gelation and it is not much below that in salt solution in the same solvent. The second system is based on graphite dispersion in hydrophobic sol-gel silicate matrix. This material was filled with mixture of liquid butylferrocene and hexadecane. After immersion in aqueous salt solution it serves as working electrode. The electrochemical signal corresponding to the electrooxidation of the butylferrocene within organic phase was obtained. Probably the electrode process occurs at three phase (carbon/organic phase/aqueous phase) junction and it is accompanied by anion transfer through the liquid-liquid interface.     

Ion-transfer- and photo-electrochemistry at liquid|liquid|solid electrode triple phase boundary junctions: perspectives

Ion transfer at liquid|liquid junctions is one of the most fundamental processes in nature. It occurs coupled to simultaneous electron transfer at the line junction (or triple phase boundary) formed by the two liquids in contact to an electrode surface. The triple phase boundary can be assembled from a redox active microdroplet deposit of a water-immiscible liquid on a suitable electrode surface immersed into aqueous electrolyte. Ion transfer voltammetry measurements at this type of electrode allow both thermodynamic and kinetic parameters for coupled ion and electron transfer processes to be obtained. This overview summarises some recent advances in understanding and application of triple phase boundary redox processes at organic liquid|aqueous electrolyte|working electrode junctions. The design of novel types of electrodes is considered based on (i) extended triple phase boundaries, (ii) porous membrane processes, (iii) hydrodynamic effects, and (iv) generator-collector triple phase boundary systems. Novel facilitated ion transfer processes and photo-electrochemical processes at triple phase boundary electrodes are proposed. Potential future applications of triple phase boundary redox systems in electrosynthesis, sensing, and light energy harvesting are indicated.