Electrocatalysis and Analytical Sensors

Electrocatalysis employing Co complexes as catalysts may have the complex in solution, adsorbed onto the electrode surface, or covalently bound to the electrode surface. This is exemplified with some selected examples. Cobalt(I) coordinatively unsaturated complexes of 2,2 -dipyridine promote the electrochemical oxidation of organic halides, the apparent rate constant showing a first order dependence on substrate concentration.1398,1399 Catalytic reduction of dioxygen has been observed on a glassy carbon electrode to which a cobalt(III) macrocycle tetraamine complex has been adsorbed.1400,1401 

The consequences of polychlorination of porphyrins on redox properties of complexes has been investigated.1404 The highly chlorinated porphyrin 3-octachloro-/ /c.vo-tetrakis(3,5-dichloro-2,6-dimethoxyphenyl)porphyrin exhibits a substantial anodic shift for reduction of over 0.5 V and a smaller shift for oxidation versus the unchlorinated precursor. Contrastingly, small potential shifts for the octabromo-substituted 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrinate arise from the dominance of macrocycle ruffling over electronic effects. In the polychloro complex, distortion does not compensate fully for electron-withdrawing effects of the Cl substituents. 

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