ANODIC OXIDATION OF ACIDS

Peroxodisulfuric acid, H2S2O8, is a colourless solid mp 65° (with decomposition). The acid is soluble in water in all proportions and its most important salts, (NH4)2S208 and K2S2O8, are also freely soluble. These salts are, in fact, easier to prepare than the acid and both are made on an industrial scale by anodic oxidation of the corresponding sulfates under carefully controlled conditions (high current density, T < 30°, bright Pt electrodes, protected cathode). The structure of the peroxo-disulfate ion [now preferably called hexaoxo-/r-peroxodisulfate(2-)]0 l is OaSOOSOa " with... 

Commercial processes Commercial electroless nickel plating stems from an accidental discovery by Brenner and Riddell made in 1944 during the electroplating of a tube, with sodium hypophosphite added to the solution to reduce anodic oxidation of other bath constituents. This led to a process available under licence from the National Bureau of Standards in the USA. Their solutions contain a nickel salt, sodium hypophosphite, a buffer and sometimes accelerators, inhibitors to limit random deposition and brighteners. The solutions are used as acid baths (pH 4-6) or, less commonly, as alkaline baths (pH 8-10). Some compositions and operating conditions are given in Table 13.17 . 

The existence of materials now included among the conducting polymers has long been known. The first electrochemical syntheses and their characterization as insoluble systems took place well over a century ago. In 1862 Letheby reported the anodic oxidation of aniline in a solution of diluted sulphuric acid, and that the blue-black, shiny powder deposited on a platinum electrode was insoluble in HjO, alcohol, and other organic solvents. Further experiments, including analytical studies, led Goppelsroeder to postulate in 1876 that oligomers were formed by the oxidation of aniline. 

In 1968 DairOlio et al. published the first report of analogous electrosyntheses in other systems. They had observed the formation of brittle, filmlike pyrrole black on a Pt-electrode during the anodic oxidation of pyrrole in dilute sulphuric acid. Conductivity measurements carried out on the isolated solid state materials gave a value of 8 Scm . In addition, a strong ESR signal was evidence of a high number of unpaired spins. Earlier, in 1961, H. Lund had reported — in a virtually unobtainable publication — that PPy can be produced by electrochemical polymerization. 

Faraday, in 1834, was the first to encounter Kolbe-electrolysis, when he studied the electrolysis of an aqueous acetate solution [1], However, it was Kolbe, in 1849, who recognized the reaction and applied it to the synthesis of a number of hydrocarbons [2]. Thereby the name of the reaction originated. Later on Wurtz demonstrated that unsymmetrical coupling products could be prepared by coelectrolysis of two different alkanoates [3]. Difficulties in the coupling of dicarboxylic acids were overcome by Crum-Brown and Walker, when they electrolysed the half esters of the diacids instead [4]. This way a simple route to useful long chain l,n-dicarboxylic acids was developed. In some cases the Kolbe dimerization failed and alkenes, alcohols or esters became the main products. The formation of alcohols by anodic oxidation of carboxylates in water was called the Hofer-Moest reaction [5]. Further applications and limitations were afterwards foimd by Fichter [6]. Weedon extensively applied the Kolbe reaction to the synthesis of rare fatty acids and similar natural products [7]. Later on key features of the mechanism were worked out by Eberson [8] and Utley [9] from the point of view of organic chemists and by Conway [10] from the point of view of a physical chemist. In Germany [11], Russia [12], and Japan [13] Kolbe electrolysis of adipic halfesters has been scaled up to a technical process. 

Anodic Oxidation of Carboxylic Acids Without Decarboxylation... 

The UPD and anodic oxidation of Pb monolayers on tellurium was investigated also in acidic aqueous solutions of Pb(II) cations and various concentrations of halides (iodide, bromide, and chloride) [103]. The Te substrate was a 0.5 xm film electrodeposited in a previous step on polycrystalline Au from an acidic Te02 solution. Particular information on the time-frequency-potential variance of the electrochemical process was obtained by potentiodynamic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (PDEIS), as it was difficult to apply stationary techniques for accurate characterization, due to a tendency to chemical interaction between the Pb adatoms and the substrate on a time scale of minutes. The impedance... 

Pakalapati SNR, BN Popov, RE White (1996) Anodic oxidation of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid on platinum electrode in alkaline medium. J Electrochem Soc 143 1636-1643. 

The set of all intermediate steps is called the reaction pathway. A given reaction (involving the same reactants and products) may occur by a single pathway or by several parallel pathways. In the case of invertible reactions, the pathway followed in the reverse direction (e.g., the cathodic) may or may not coincide with that of the forward direction (in this example, the anodic). For instance, the relatively simple anodic oxidation of divalent manganese ions which in acidic solutions yields tetrava-lent manganese ions Mn +— Mn -l-2e , can follow these two pathways ... 

Very early during research into the anodic oxidation of methanol in the 1960s, it was repeatedly attempted to build experimental models of methanol-oxygen or methanol-air fuel cells. Most of these studies were conducted in snlfnric acid solntions... 

An alternative to the direct anodic oxidation of organic contaminants are the methods of indirect oxidation with the aid of oxidizers formed electrochemically in situ. These oxidizers (or mediators) can be obtained in both anodic and cathodic processes. Anodic agents are the salts of hypochloric acid (hypochlorites), the permanganates, the persulfates, and even ozone. 

Wolter O, Willsau J, Heitbaum J. 1985. Reaction pathways of the anodic oxidation of formic acid on platinum evidenced by oxygen-18 labeling—A DEMS study. J Electrochem Soc 132 1635-1638. 

Ota K-I, Nakagawa Y, Takahashi M. 1984. Reaction products of anodic oxidation of methanol in sulfuric acid solution. J Electroanal Chem 179 179-186. 

The mechanism of anodic oxidation of CO at polycrystalline Au remains uncertain. Several groups have reported that the voltammetry of Au in acidic electrolytes is straightforward, with a well-formed oxidation wave/peak [Stonehart, 1966 Gibbs et al., 1977 Kita et al., 1985 Sun et al., 1999]. There is, however, no voltammetric evidence for the adsorption of CO on the Au surface, and spectroscopic studies indicate only a weak interaction of CO with poly crystalline Au surfaces in acidic solutions [Kunimatsu et al., 1986 Cuesta et al., 2003]. Moreover, there is little evidence for the formation of oxidizing species at the potential where the oxidation process is observed. Certainly, the oxidation of CO occurs at a potential over 500 mV less positive than that where bulk Au oxide is formed, and, indeed, the formation of this oxide strongly... 

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