Electrochemical oxidation of catechols in the presence of ketene N,O-acetals: indole formation versus α-arylation

Anodic oxidation of catechols has been investigated in the presence of ketene N,O-acetals using cyclic voltammetry and constant current electrolysis methods. The results show that in the presence of ketene N,O-acetals, the anodic oxidation of 4-methylcatechol affords α-arylated products in satisfactory yields. Meanwhile, indoles can be synthesized from simple 3-substituted catechols or catechol itself following an ECEC mechanism. In addition, either α-arylation or indole formation could be the dominant pathway by simply modifying the composition of the electrolyte solution.     

An Electrochemical Study of the Interactions Between Trace Metals and Humic Substances in Freshwaters by Anodic Stripping Voltammetry with a Thin Mercury Film Rotating Disk Electrode

An improved theoretical approach to Anodic Stripping Voltammetry with a Thin Mercury Film Rotating Disk Electrode for elucidating the nature of the interactions of Pb(II), Cd(II) and Zn(II) with humic substances in model solutions of Laurentian fulvic acid, and of Pb(II), Cd(II), Zn(II) and Cu(II) in freshwaters, is presented. Conditional stability constants of Pb(II), Cd(II) and Zn(II) complexes decreased with the ionic potential (z²/r) and increased with softness of the metal ion, indicating strong affinity of soft, polarizable donor ligands on humic substances for softer metal ions, resulting in an appreciable covalent character in electrostatic bonding between the metals and humic substances.     

Electrochemical behaviour of gold, silver, platinum and palladium on the glassy carbon electrode modified by chitosan and its application

The chitosan-modified glassy carbon electrode can be used as a working electrode for the determination of precious metal elements: Au, Ag, Pt, Pd. In low pH medium, the complex anions of these precious elements combine with the protonated group ---NH₃⁺ in the chitosan molecule in the form of an ion-association complex. These metal ions were selectively enriched and we got sensitive anodic stripping current. These elements content in ore, welding material have been determined by this method. The results were consistent with those from standard sample and ICP atomic emission spectrometry method. The possible mechanism of electrochemical reaction has been proposed by the study of CV, UV and FT-Raman spectrometry.     

Field emission from awl-shaped diamond-like carbon by using filtered cathodic arc plasma technique on anodic aluminum oxide template

Awl-shaped diamond-like carbon (DLC) was directly grown on anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template by using filtered cathodic arc plasma (FCAP) technique at room temperature. The awls of DLC were about 250 nm in the height and the diameters of the awls were ∼100 nm at the top. The awl density was estimated to be ∼10⁸ cm⁻². A broad asymmetric band ranging from 1100 to 1800 cm⁻¹ was detected by Raman spectrum. This asymmetric band was characteristic band of DLC. The sp³/(sp³+sp²) ratio of C-C bond of the awl-shaped DLC was measured by X-ray photoelectron spectrum, and it was about 68.3%. Field-emission properties of the awl-shaped DLC were investigated. A low turn-on field of 2.6 V/μm at 10 μA/cm² with an emission area of 3.14 mm² was achieved, and the emission current stability was very good. The results indicated that the electrons were emitted under both the effect of enhanced field because of the geometry and the work function of the DLC sample. Based on Fowler-Nordheim plot, the values of work function for the awl-shaped DLC were estimated in ranges of 0.23-1.08 from a linearity plot.     

Improvement of hot-dip zinc coating by enriching the inner layers with iron oxide

The performance of hot-dip galvanic coating formed on steel not only depends on the alloy composition of the superficial layer but also significantly, on the composition of the inner alloy layers at the coating/substrate interface. Further, the presence of barrier oxide layers, if any can also improve the performance of galvanic coating. In the present work, the effect of inner iron oxide barrier layer formed prior to hot-dip galvanization was investigated. A continuous and adherent iron oxide layer was formed on steel by anodic oxidation of the steel substrate. Although the wettability of oxide surface by liquid zinc was initially poor, the increase in dipping time and the transition of the oxide layer to unstable form due to the presence of Cl⁻ ion in the flux facilitated localized growth of Fe-Zn alloy phases. The inhibitive nature of the oxide layer was temporary, since the presence of Cl⁻ induces micro cracks on the oxide surface thereby facilitating better zinc diffusion. The modification of the substrate structure during galvanization was found to influence the galvanizing process significantly. The present study predicts scope for application of this process for protection of rusted steel specimens too.     

Effects of Cl, NO3 and SO4 anions on the anodic behavior of carbon steel in deaerated 0.50 M NaHCO3 solutions

The effects of Cl⁻, NO₃⁻ and SO₄²⁻ aggressive anions on the corrosion and passivation behavior of carbon steel electrode in deaerated 0.50 M NaHCO₃ solutions were studied using potentiodynamic anodic polarization and SEM techniques. It was found that the presence of Cl⁻, NO₃⁻ and SO₄²⁻ anions stimulates the anodic dissolution rate in both the active and the pre-passive potential regions. Moreover, significantly great effects were observed in both the passive and the trans-passive potential regions. Pitting corrosion was observed only in the presence of Cl⁻ anions, while the presence of NO₃⁻ and SO₄²⁻ anions facilitate only passivation by oxygen of water without themselves participating in the cathodic process. Also, it was observed that the effect of NO₃⁻ anion, which is a strong oxidizing agent acting “primarily” as stimulator of the cathodic process and then its reaction product acts “indirectly” retarding the anodic process. On the other hand, the effect of SO₄²⁻ anion, which is a non-oxidizing agent, exerts an “indirect” effect on the cathodic reaction increasing its rate and then “directly” influence on the anodic reaction, retarding it.