Condensed thymine films at the mercury/water interface: Part I. General features

The general features of the condensed films formed by thymine at the mercury/water interface are described. The kinetics of their formation are those of nucleation and growth, i.e., of phase formation. The slow nucleation is responsible for the observed capacitance hysteresis. The interfacial capacitance in the presence of a condensed thymine film is remarkably insensitive to thymine or electrolyte concentration, to the nature of the electrolyte or to temperature, but the region of potentials over which the condensed film is stable depends strongly on these variables. At low temperatures, additional condensed films are observed.