ADSORPTION AT ELECTRODES: DESORPTION POTENTIALS OF ALKYL ALCOHOLS AND SPECIFIC ADSORPTION OF ANIONS,

The potentials of desorption of various alkyl alcohols have been studied as a function of concentration of the alcohol and of the nature and concentration of various electrolytes. Specific adsorption of the electrolyte ions in reflected in shifts of the desorption peaks of the alcohols. At anodic potentials, the order of specific adsorption appears to be chloride, sulfate, perchlorate, fluoride, and at cathodic potentials vs. S.C.E., chloride, perchlorate, sulfate, and fluoride. Under some conditions, the order may be different, but the present results do not provide sufficiently strong evidence to reach firm conclusions about this. Author