Polarography in hexamethylphosphoramide: Effect of supporting electrolyte cations

Polarographic reductions of various metal ions such as the silver, cupric, zinc, cobaltous, nickel, ferric, ferrous ions and hydrogen ion in hexamethylphosphoramide (HMPA), have been investigated in the supporting electrolytes with various perchlorates. The reduction of most of these ions is strongly influenced by the cation of the supporting electrolyte. In the presence of the tetraethylammonium ion, when the size of the cation of the supporting electrolyte is small and easily adsorbed on the negatively charged electrode surface, the reductions of metal ions are controlled by some preceding processes and are naturally irreversible. The rate of reduction becomes more rapid with the increase of the size of the cation. Thus, in Hex₄NClO₄ or LiClO solutions, the reduction of these various metal ions takes place almost totally under diffusion control, although the waves of most of metal ions show a maximum. These effects of the cation of the supporting electrolytes on reduction can be explained as a phenomenon occurring on the electrode surface. This phenomenon has been reported in previous papers 1] on the reductions of the alkali and alkaline earth metal ions. The difference in the electrocapillary curves in these solutions is rarely shown at the potential around the electrocapillary maximum, but it is very obviously shown at more negative potential. The difference in the effect of the size of the cation of the supporting electrolyte on reduction of metal ion coincides well with the difference in the electrocapillary curves in these solutions: the effect of the size of the supporting electrolyte cation on the polarographic reduction is rarely shown at the potential around the electrocapillary maximum, but it is very obviously shown at more negative potential; therefore this effect is due to the electrode double-layer difference.