Electrocatalysts and Catalysis

Another difficulty for chemists is the power of the change in potential in his hand. When electrochemists talk about changing an electrode potential by a volt, it seems trivial but when it is explained that this refers to a change of a volt delivered over 3 1 A, that is, one is dealing with electric fields of 107 V cm-1, the light begins to shine. 

There are sub-effects of these changes in electric field strengths too. The magnitude of such fields distort the shape of molecules in it and clearly this changes their reactivity or at least modifies the effect these squeezed and oriented molecules have on nearby reactants and products. 

Yet another fact the chemists would have to understand if they want to help the electrochemists to understand the presence of water. Of course, water has quadrupole properties and changes the local electric field within the overall electric field at the metal-solution interface. 

Let me finish this note by pointing out where electrochemical phenomena and hence electrocatalysis provides a number of hurdles to the student coming from chemical catalysis. I will name only three, but they are all considerable. First, the terminology. In chemical catalysis, the measurement of a reaction rate is in moles per square centimeter per second (mol cm 2 s ) or moles per square meter per second (mol m 2 s ). In electrocatalysis, the measurement of rate is in current density, and, without training, there is at once a curtain between the two fields, until one learns 

Second, the control of the electrochemical reaction is much connected with electronic instrumentation and what one can do with electrochemical currents is to make them perform various tasks one must have a good training in practical electronics, less needed by the catalytic worker. Advanced forms of spectroscopy specialized to observe surfaces in contact with water have come into electrochemistry, too, and demand much new knowledge and practice. 

---