A Model of Electrochemical Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Recently, Ovchinnikov and Benderskii gave a quantum mechanical model of the hydrogen evolution reaction at a metal electrode. In this model, they have emphasized the importance of Gurney-based model rather than that of Marcus, Levich, and Dogonadze. However, they tried to combine the principal features of the two models. They have pointed out that transition along the reaction coordinate, rather than the solvent coordinate, was important to explain the Tafel behavior and the constancy of the transfer coefficient. 

The probability of electron transfer from metal to the reaction complex is given by 

Data Relevant to Calculation of the Splitting Energy in Proton Transfer  

Reaction (E-V) (kcal/mol) /(A) 8E (eV) Tunneling time (sec) Comments about WKB approximation 

For a model of isotropic electron gas in metal, the momentum integral of Eq. (49) was carried out, and the tunneling probability was expressed as  

---