Voltammetric response and electrochemical properties of the O2/O 2 •− couple in acetone

Voltammetric responses of the O₂/O ₂ ^•− couple as a function of aprotic solvents are investigated. The results show that acetone is a suitable solvent for examining the electrode reaction of the O₂/O ₂ ^•− couple. Studying the electrochemical behavior of the O₂/O ₂ ^•− couple at different electrodes in acetone by cyclic voltammetry suggests that the reversibility of the O₂/O ₂ ^•− couple and the redox peak currents at glassy carbon are better than those at gold and platinum. The kinetic parameters (electron transfer rate constant k ₀ and cathodic transfer coefficient α) of the oxygen reduction to superoxide ion (O ₂ ^•− ) are evaluated using normal-pulse voltammetry. The obtained values of k ₀ (cm/s) and α are (1.95 ± 0.05) × 10⁻⁴ and 0.34 ± 0.01, respectively. The scavenging activities of ascorbic acid and bilirubin are tested and the experimental results confirm that ascorbic acid is a better scavenger toward O ₂ ^•− . Published in Russian in Elektrokhimiya, 2007, Vol. 43, No. 2, pp. 188–194. The text was submitted by the authors in English.