Ion-selective characteristics of heavy metal myristate liquid membrane electrodes

Liquid membrane electrodes of myristate soaps of heavy metals, namely copper, cadmium, zinc, nickel, cobalt, strontium and barium in a benzene-n-butanol mixture were prepared. Each electrode showed nernstian response in common metal ion test solution. The range of concentration of the test solution for the Nernstian behaviour lies between 10^?4 and 10^?1M. With a dissimilar metal ion in test solution the metal soap liquid membrane electrode indicates deviations from Nernst's equation depending on the nature of the metal ion, suggesting different selectivities for different ions. The selectivity ratios are therefore calculated.     

Photochemical and thermal transformations of 7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]Heptadiene and 7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]heptene systems

2,3-Dicarbomethoxy-7,7-dimethyl-7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-diene (III) on photolysis gave dimethyl tetraphenylphthalate whereas the photolysis of 7,7-dimethyl-7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]hep-5-ene-2,3-dicarboxylic anhydride (XIa) resulted in the formation of 1,1-dimethyl-2,3,4,5-tetraphenyl-1-silacyclopentadiene (XIIIa). The thermolysis of XIa also gave rise to XIIIa. Similarly, the photolysis as well as thermolysis of 1,4,5,6,7,7-hexaphenyl-7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2,3-dicarboxylic anhydride (XIb) led to hexaphenylsilacyclopentadiene (XIIIb). Attempts to detect radical intermediates in these thermal and photochemical transformations by carrying out the reaction in the presence of hydroquinone, hydrazobenzene, 3,6-diphenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazine, cumene and tolan were unsuccessful. An attempted preparation of 7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]hepta2,5-dienes by the reaction of silacyclopentadienes such as 1-methyl-1-vinyl2,3,4,5-tetraphenyl-1-silacyclopentadiene (XV) and 1-methyl-1,2,3,4,5-pentaphenyl-1-silacyclopentadiene (XVI) with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate resulted in the isolation of dimethyl tetraphenylphthalate indicating that the corresponding 7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-dienes are thermally unstable.     

Voltammetry at partially covered electrodes: Part I. Chronopotentiometry and chronoamperometry at model electrodes

Equations for chronopotentiometry and chronoamperometry at partially covered electrodes have been derived using a model of hexagonal array of cylidrical spaces terminated, at the electrode surface, by concentric active and inactive regions. The boundary value problem was shown to be analogous to that for a charge transfer preceded by a chemical reaction. Experiments with the reduction of ferricyanide on gold model electrodes partially covered with photoresist layer showed excellent agreement with the theory. Application of the equations to estimation of coverage and size of active sites distributed on a electrode surface is discussed.     

Hydrodynamic voltammetry at channel electrodes: Part VII. Current transients at double channel electrodes

Expressions for the transient current at the downstream electrode in response to galvanostatic electrolysis at the upstream electrode in the channel flow cell were derived by applying double Laplace transformation when the electrode reaction at the upstream electrode is kinetically controlled. The ratio of the transient current to the steady state current or the transient collection efficiency was calculated as a function of electrode geometry and θ

, where U_m is the mean flow velocity in the channel cell, D the diffusion coefficient of the electroactive species, b the half height of the channel, x₁ the length of the upstream electrode and t the time elapsed since the beginning of the galvanostatic electrolysis at the upstream electrode. Curves for the transient collection efficiency can be applied to evaluating the amount of adsorption at the upstream electrode when metal at the electrode is anodically dissolved in solution. Digital simulation was carried out. Transient curves, obtained analytically, were in good agreement with those evaluated from the digital simulation. In order to allow one to draw transient curves readily, we derived a simple approximate equation.     

Spectroelectrochemistry of tetracyanoquinodimethane modified electrodes

Thin films of a tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) oligomer adsorbed on optically transparent platinum electrodes have been studied using spectroelectrochemical techniques. In contact with aqueous electrolytes the electron aceptor sites in these modified electrodes are reduced to mixtures of the radical aion, TCNQ^?, the dimer radical anion, TCNQ^2?₂, the dimer dianion, TCNQ₂^2?, and the dianion, TCNQ^2∮. Electrolyte effects on the reduction process and the stability of the reduced films were studied. Both monovalent and divalent ions exhibited Nernstian potential dependence, and in the presence of Ca²⁺ ions the dianion state was stabilized. Counterion effects are suggested as the origin of variations in the wave shape in multcycle voltammograms.     

Charge trapping reactions in bilayer electrodes

The cyclic voltammetric peaks for charging trapping and untrapping reactions between the inner and outer redox polymer films of five bilayer electrodes are compared to a theory for control of the rate of charge trapping by electron diffusion rates in the inner polymer film. The five bilayer electrodes use various different redox polymer films (electropolymerized poly-pyridine complexes of Fe, Ru, and Os, and polyvinylferrocene) arranged in different orders. The currents on the rising edge of the bilayer trapping and untrapping peaks follow the electron diffusion theory up to ca. 80% of the peak current; currents thereafter are controlled by another process(es). The analysis yields values for the electron diffusion constants in the inner bilayer polymer films, which agree with one another for different bilayers having the same inner film polymer films and which also agree with independent determinations by other methods. Two of the bilayers are made from the same two polymers, arranged in different inner-outer order. These bilayers also illustrate the occurrence of a “leak reaction”, in which charge trapped in the outer film is discharged via a thermodynamically unfavorable electron transfer reaction with the inner polymer film.     

Chronoamperometric current at finite disk electrodes

The chronoamperometric current at a stationary finite disk electrode is studied using both analytical and digital simulation techniques. The exact long-time expansion of the current is obtained and its short-time behavior is considered. Digital simulation of the current using an explicit hopscotch algorithm is presented. In contrast to the usual explicit difference method, the ‘hopscotch’ algorithm is unconditionally stable, and thus, it is particularly suited for studying electrochemical problems at intermediate and long times. A simple analytic expressions for the current, which is accurate to 0.6% for all times, is presented.     

Chronopotentiometry at very small stationary disk electrodes

Expressions for chronopotentiometry at very small stationary disk electrodes are presented. The transition time, τ, is expressed as a function of I_ss/I, where I is the applied current and I_ss is the steady-state diffusion current for the disk electrode given by I_ss/I=4nFc*_RDa, (where n is the number of electrons transferred, a the radius of the electrode, D the diffusion coefficient and c*_R the bulk concentration). When values of I_ss/I are small, the transition time constant,

, depends linearly on I_ss/I and gives the intercept of the Sand equation. When I_ss/I approaches unity, the transition time increases rapidly and diverges to infinity at I_ss/I=1. If I_ss/I exceeds unity, the transition does not occur and the electrode potential approaches a steady-state value corresponding to I. An approximate equation for the transition time is presented, from which one can evaluate the diffusion coefficient. Equations for the potential-time curve and the quarter-wave potential are also obtained. The equations were tested experimentally using platinum small disk electrodes (a=0.025–0.10 mm). The transition times obtained experimentally were in good agreement with these predicted theoretically for various values of the applied current, for several different radii of the electrodes.     

Transport of organic acids through perfluorosulfonate polymeric membranes

Carboxylic acids in aqueous solutions permeate through perfluorosulfonate merebranes. The permeation is significantly enhanced when the sulfonic acid groups are convetted to their sodium salt form. Transport fluxes at atmospheric pressure have been found to vary in the 10^-9—10^-6 mol/cm²-sec range, depending on the nature of the acids. Interesting separation possibilities of carboxylic acids from one another or from nonpolar compounds are discussed.     

On the mechanism of hydrogen evolution at GaAs electrodes

The hydrogen evolution reaction at n- and p-GaAs electrodes has been reinvestigated. As in the case of metal electrodes, hydrogen evolution can occur in two ways: at ?0.5 V (SCE) hydronium ions are reduced, at ?1.25 V (SCE) reduction of water molecules takes place. It is confirmed that in both cases conduction band electrons are responsible for the two reduction steps, forming adsorbed hydrogen atoms in the first and hydrogen molecules in the second step. Hole injection can occur only to a negligible extent, although it appears energetically feasible.     

Oxygen evolution on NixFe3−xO4 electrodes

The adsorption of hydrogen on Pt(100), (110) and (111) electrodes from 0.5 M H₂SO₄ has been investigated by measuring potentiodynamic adsorption and desorption spectra. Distinct differences in the adsorption behaviour of H on the various faces of single crystalline Pt are found and the results are compared with those previously reported in the literature. The quality of the single crystal surface was checked by RHEED. In addition, the influence of the substrate crystallographic orientation on the surface oxide formation was studied, where again differences on the three low index faces of Pt are observed.     

Voltammetry at microcylinder electrodes: Part III. Chronopotentiometry

Expressions for chronopotentiometry at stationary microcylinder electrodes are presented. The transition time, τ, is expressed as a function of a single parameter λ ( = nFc^*_RD / ia, where a is the radius of the electrode, D is the diffusion coefficient, i is the current density, n is the number of transferred electrons, F is the Faraday constant and c^*_R is the bulk concentration. When the values of λ are small, the transition-time constant, i√τ / c^*_R, depends linearly on λ, with the intercept predicted from the Sand equation. Conversely, when values of λ increase, the transition time also increases exponentially. Therefore transition necessarily occurs no matter how small a current flows. An approximate equation for the transition time is presented, from which one can evaluate the diffusion coefficient. Equations for the potential-time curve and the quarter-wave potential are also obtained. The equations were tested experimentally using carbon fiber electrodes (a = 4.1 μ m) and platinum wire electrodes (a = 10-100μ m). The transition times obtained experimentally were in good agreement with those predicted theoretically for various values of the applied current, for several different radii of the electrodes.     

Quantitative description of the rejection of polymeric catalysts by ultrafiltration membranes

The rejection capability of ultrafiltration membranes for polymeric catalysts like enzymes was measured under well defined conditions. A simple model has been developed to describe the course of retention during continuous operation. Even at very low concentrations of the polymer, a significant influence of concentration polarization on the retention could be found. The course of retention could be described numerically simply by using distribution parameters for the pore size of the membrane and the particle size of the polymeric catalyst.     

The electrooxidation of methanol and related compounds at ruthenium dioxide-coated electrodes

The underlying metal was observed to corrode when a ruthenium dioxide-coated titanium electrode was anodized in an aqueous methanol solution. With a similarly coated platinum electrode peaks were observed on the voltammogram below 1.0 V which were attributed to methanol oxidation on the underlying metal. This effect was more pronounced when the electrode was subjected during cycling to potentials close to 0 V. Rapid oxidation of methanol on RuO₂ was observed at potentials above 1.0 V, the rate at a given potential increasing in an approximately linear manner with increasing alcohol concentration. The rate of reaction also increased with increasing temperature and increasing surface roughness. Tafel slope values were rather high (>100 mV decade^?1) and a mechanism involving anodically generated species such as OH_ads was proposed to account for these results. The variation of activity with pH was similar to that reported earlier for oxygen evolution at these anodes and this was again explained in terms of partial deactivation of the surface due to a combination of proton loss and phosphate ion adsorption at intermediate pH values. The release of carbon dioxide from aqueous solutions of higher alcohols at 25°C confirmed the high oxidizing power of RuO₂ anodes.     

Ellipsometry of DNA adsorbed at mercury electrodes: A preliminary study

The adsorption of DNA at a mercury electrode can be detected ellipsometrically. Native DNA is probably more weakly absorbed at positive charges than at negative charges. Denatured DNA is more strongly adsorbed in the reduced form than in the protonated form and is desorbed at large negative charges. Adsorption of both forms is characterized by small negative values of δΔ/δ. It is suggested that these results should be interpreted in terms of an anisotropic film.