Thermodynamic and kinetic characteristics of intermediates of electrode reactions. Comparative laser photoemission study of the kinetics of electron transfer for certain alkylaryl and alkylhalide radicals

Using the laser photoemission technique, a comparative study of thermodynamic and energy characteristics of electron transfer (ET) is carried out for a number of alkylaryl intermediates (IM) (benzyl, benzhydryl radicals) and alkyl halides (chloromethyl and dichloromethyl radicals). It is found that the standard free energies of activation of radicals under study are 0.34–0.38 eV and the preexpoential factors are between 10⁹ and 10¹⁰s^?1 and weakly depend on the solution nature. The reorganization energies of the medium for these IM are estimated in terms of the classical Marcus theory. The results are compared with the literature data on the dissociative ET in monohalogenomethanes CH₃Hal/CH₃Hal^?·, polychloromethanes CH_nHal_{4 ? n} /CH_nHal _4?n ^?· , and some other systems. Possible reasons for the different probabilities of observing reversible ET for IM under study are discussed.     

Thermodynamic and kinetic characteristics of intermediates of electrode reactions: Determination by direct and combined electrochemical methods

The potentialities of electrochemical and combined methods for the determination of thermodynamic characteristics and kinetic parameters of intermediates are analyzed. The electrochemical methods include polarography, versions of voltammetry, and chronopotentiometry. The combined methods combine nonelectrochemical (or indirect) generation of intermediates with electrochemical methods of their subsequent investigation: photomodulation voltammetry, method of polarography of pulsed-radiolysis products, method of indirect electrolysis, electrochemiluminescence, and a group of laser photoemission methods. Theoretical foundations and basic advantages and disadvantages of the laser photoemission methods (the measurement of photocurrents in potentiostatic conditions—method of time resolved voltammograms obtained under chopped illumination and the measurement of the kinetics of variations in the potential of an electrode after illuminating it by a pulsed laser—in coulostatic conditions) are described in detail. The potentialities of the laser photoemission methods for the determination of thermodynamic (standard potentials E ⁰ of redox pairs R/R^-, standard adsorption free energies) and kinetic (values of rate constants W ⁰ at an equilibrium potential, bulk lifetime of radicals Rand products of their reduction R^-) characteristics of intermediates are demonstrated by studying a trifluoromethyl radical.Translated from Elektrokhimiya, Vol. 41, No. 2, 2005, pp. 142–156.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Krivenko, Kotkin, Kurmaz.This revised version was published online in April 2005 with corrections to the article note and article title and cover date.