Electrochemical Behavior of Diphenyl Disulfide and Thiophenol on Glassy Carbon and Gold Electrodes in Aprotic Media

The investigation of the electrochemical reduction processes of C₆H₅SSC₆H₅ and C₆H₅SH in CH₃CN using cyclic voltammetry indicates a different behavior on GC and Au electrodes. On GC surface adsorption phenomena are absent, the electrochemical reduction process is irreversible and diffusion controlled. For both the starting molecules the same species, C₆H₅S^?, is formed upon reduction. The E° values of the reduction processes were determined by convolution method and the standard free energy of the S? S bond of C₆H₅SSC₆H₅ estimated. On Au surface instead, a self‐assembled monolayer of C₆H₅SAu_ads originated after the S? S or S? H bond breaking can be observed by simply dipping the electrode in solution of C₆H₅SSC₆H₅ and C₆H₅SH, respectively. The properties of the SAM were investigated by electrochemical reduction of the adsorbed thiolates. On Au electrode the reduction processes involve C₆H₅SAu_ads and give rise to desorbed C₆H₅S^?. A neutral radical is obtained by electrochemical oxidation of thiolate anion. It reacts rapidly with the electrode surface to give the S‐Au bond again.