Electroreduction of Oxalate Complexes of Ruthenium(III) on a Dropping Mercury Electrode: Effect of Alkali Metal Cations and Solution Acidity

It is established that the reaction of recharging trioxalate complexes of ruthenium(III) occurs in the case of solutions with excess supporting oxalate salts of alkali metals K⁺, Na⁺, and Cs⁺ in reversible conditions, and limiting recharge currents are caused by diffusion. At the same time, values of diffusion coefficients for complex anion [Ru(C₂O₄)₃]^–3 decrease by almost two times upon going from potassium to sodium and cesium electrolytes. Substantial differences in the limiting currents in solutions containing excess amounts of the above salts are explained by the formation, at least in the case of cesium and sodium electrolytes, of ionic associates whose reduction rate at a fixed potential is lower than that of nonassociated anion [Ru(C₂O₄)₃]^–3. With solution dilution by supporting salts, transition is observed from reversible recharge conditions to absolutely irreversible conditions and a change in the above sequence of the effect of supporting cations on the recharge rate; at a fixed potential, the process decelerates in the series Cs⁺ > K⁺ > Na⁺. The reduction wave of the ruthenium(II) oxalate complexes in solutions with excess supporting electrolyte happens to depend on pH and, probably, is determined by simultaneous formation of adsorbed atoms of hydrogen (or ruthenium hydride) on atoms of ruthenium(0).