Design and applications of an in situ electrochemical NMR cell

A device using a three-electrode electrochemical cell (referred to as an ECNMR cell) was successfully constructed that could be used in a standard 5mm NMR probe to acquire high-resolution NMR spectra while the working electrode was held at a constant electrical potential. The working electrode was a 20 nm thick gold film thermally coated on the outside of an inner 3mm glass tube. An underlayer consisting of (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxy-silane was coated on the glass surface in order to improve its adhesion to gold. Tests showed prolonged life of the gold film. Details of the design and construction of the ECNMR cell are described. The ECNMR cell could be routinely used in a multi-user service high-resolution NMR instrument under oxygen-free conditions in both aqueous and non-aqueous solvents. Different approaches were applied to suppress the noise transmitted between the potentiostat and the NMR spectrometer. These approaches were shown to be effective in reducing background noise in the NMR spectra. The electrochemical and NMR performance of the ECNMR cell is presented. The reduction of 1,4-benzoquinone in both aqueous and non-aqueous solvents was used for testing. The evolution of the in situ ECNMR spectra with time demonstrated that use of the ECNMR cell was feasible. Studies of caffeic acid and 9-chloroanthracene using this ECNMR cell were undertaken to explore its applications, such as monitoring reactions and studying their reaction mechanisms.