Effect of cathodic polarization of a steel membrane and the acidity of alcohol solutions of hydrochloric acid on the balance between rates of the reaction of evolution of hydrogen and its solid-phase diffusion

The effect of cathodic polarization of the entrance side of a steel membrane and the concentration of hydrochloric acid (0.99–0.01 M) on the balance between rates of the reaction of evolution of hydrogen and its diffusion through steel (ρ) is studied in hydrochloric-acid solutions of ethanol and ethylene glycol with a constant ionic strength equal to unity. It is demonstrated that ρ lowers down with a shift of the potential of the polarization side of the membrane in the negative direction and increases with diminishing concentration of hydrochloric acid. The results are interpreted with allowance made for the surface coverage by two forms of adsorbed hydrogen, namely, a raised form and a subsurface form.