Accession Number:

AD0694951

Title:

OXYGEN ELECTRODE KINETICS OF GOLD.

Descriptive Note:

Technical rept.,

Corporate Author:

CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIV CLEVELAND OHIO ELECTROCHEMISTRY RESEARCH LAB

Personal Author(s):

• Zurilla,Ronald W.
• Yeager,Ernest

Report Date:

1969-05-15

Pagination or Media Count:

231.0

Abstract:

The research covered in the document was undertaken to achieve a better understanding of the oxygen reduction mechanism on gold by use of a rotating disk electrode with ring and to ascertain the role of hydrogen peroxide in the reaction path. Experiments were designed to control the amount of hydrogen peroxide in solution and to minimize the effect of impurities. Gold was chosen as an electrode material since surface oxide effects were expected to be minimal. The electrochemistry of O2 was studied on gold in 0.1 M NaOH and 0.1 M HClO4 with the rotating disk and ring-disk techniques. Care has been taken to prevent contamination of the solutions with impurities, particularly platinum. The result is that HO2- or H2O2 is formed during the reduction of O2 in alkaline and acid solutions and that most of the peroxide diffuses away from the electrode. The further reduction of HO2- in 0.1 M NaOH resulted in a significant contribution to the disk current in the potential range where O2 is reduced while the reduction of H2O2 in 0.1 M HClO4 contributed very little to the disk current. The ring-disk data in 0.1 M NaOH demonstrated that only a series reaction scheme O2 yielding HO2- yielding OH- where HO2- is either the adsorbed or desorbed species is operative. Author

Descriptors:

• (*OXYGEN
• *ELECTROCHEMISTRY)
• (*ELECTRODES
• REACTION KINETICS)
• ADSORPTION
• GOLD
• HYDROGEN PEROXIDE
• DIFFUSION
• OXIDATION REDUCTION REACTIONS
• ORGANIC SOLVENTS

Subject Categories:

• Physical Chemistry

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE