A comparative spectroelectrochemical study of the redox electrochemistry of nitroanilines

The oxidative and reductive electrochemistry of the three isomeric nitroanilines has been studied in neutral (0.1 mol L⁻¹ KClO₄) and acidic (0.1 mol L⁻¹ HClO₄) aqueous electrolyte solutions by cyclic voltammetry and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The cyclic voltammograms recorded for o- and p-nitroanilines with a gold electrode in acidic solution, scanning toward negative potentials, revealed formation of phenylenediamine not observed in neutral solution. Similar behavior of nitroanilines and phenylenediamines was observed on gold and platinum electrodes. An oxygen–gold adsorbate stretching mode was detected between 400 and 430 cm⁻¹ in the SER-spectra of the three isomeric nitroanilines in both electrolyte solutions at positive electrode potentials, implying perpendicular adsorption via the nitro group.