ECE and disproportionation: Part VI. General resolution. Application to potential step chronoamperometry

The competition between homogeneous and heterogeneous electron transfers in ECE-DISP mechanisms: A+eB BC C+eD B+C→A+D is analyzed in the context of potential step chronoamperometry. Starting from the expressions of the apparent number of electrons for the limiting situation, ECE, DISP1, DISP2, the transition between two of these “pure” mechanisms is systematically investigated. The general system is then analyzed for large values of the kinetic parameters, i.e., in the particular case of a stationary state arising from mutual compensation of diffusion and chemical reaction (“pure kinetic” conditions). This provides an estimation of the range of parameters where numerical analysis of the general case is actually necessary together with tests of accuracy of the numerical computation procedures. In this framework the analysis of the most general case involving no particular assumption about the magnitude of the thermodynamic and kinetic parameters leads to a three-dimensional kinetic zone diagram which allows to predict the effects of the intrinsic (equilibrium and rate constants) and operational (time, concentration) parameters on the displacement of the system from one limiting situation to the other. On these bases, the practical effectiveness of single-step techniques in discriminating between the limiting mechanisms is discussed. It is shown that the discrimination between DISP2 and either ECE and DISP1 can be easily carried out in terms of either concentration or time dependence of the current response. The discrimination between ECE and DISP1 is much more difficult and requires a high experimental accuracy to be effective.