Electrochemical processes compared with

Similar electroreductive silylation of a series of unsaturated nitrogen compounds such as trimethylsilyl cyanide, cyanamide or isocyanide, bis(trimethylsilyl)carbodiimide and trimethylsilyl isocyanate provide precursors of bis(trimethylsilyl)methylamine, which is useful for organic synthesis (equations 90 and 91)115. This electrochemical method is a safer and more economical process compared with the chemical process using an alkali metal such as lithium. 

A great advantage of electrochemical reactions compared with chemical conversions is the effective contribution to pollution control. The direct electron transfer from the electrode to the substrate avoids the problem of separation and waste treatment of the frequently toxic end products of the chemical oxidants or reductants. Furthermore, by electrodialysis, organic acids or bases can be regenerated from their salts without the use of sulfuric acid or sodium hydroxide, for example, which lead to the coproduction of sodium salts or sulfates as waste [79]. At the same time, inorganic acids and bases, necessary for chemical production, are provided by this process. An application of electrodialysis has been demonstrated in the preparation of methoxyacetic acid by oxidation of methoxyethanol at the nickel hydroxide electrode [80]. Finally, unwanted side products can be converted into the wanted product, which increases the economy of the process and reduces the problem of waste separation and treatment. This is accomplished in the manufacture of chloroacetic acid by chlorination of acetic acid. There the side product dichloroacetic acid, formed by overchlorination, is cathodically converted to chloroacetic acid [81]. 

Electrochemical processes can become diffusion controlled if the fonnation of the activated complex is fast compared with the diffusion of the reacting anion to the surface or dissolving cations from the surface. In aqueous... 

The electrochemical behavior of single-crystal (100) lead telluride, PbTe, has been studied in acetate buffer pH 4.9 or HCIO4 (pH 1.1) and KOH (pH 12.9) solutions by potentiodynamic techniques with an RRDE setup and compared to the properties of pure Pb and Te [203]. Preferential oxidation, reduction, growth, and dissolution processes were investigated. The composition of surface products was examined by XPS analysis. It was concluded that the use of electrochemical processes on PbTe for forming well-passivating or insulating surface layers is rather limited. 

Electrochemical processes are particularly well suited for the manufacture of fine chemicals in view of their high sjjecificity (almost comparable to that offered by enzymes), the smaller number of steps required, adoption of milder conditions, lack of scale-up problems, avoidance of effluents, etc. The ease with which oxidation and/or reduction can be carried out with the practically mass-free clean electrons makes electrochemical processes well suited for such jobs, including paired synthesis in effect, we use electricity as a reagent . Consider a standard chemical oxidant like manganic or chromic sulphate. Here, a stoichiometric amount of the reduced salt will be formed the disposal of which can be a serious problem. If we adopt an electrochemical process, then the reduced salt is converted into the desired oxidized salt. 

This device has not reached commercialization, no doubt in part because bulk electrochemical transport of major gaseous components will rarely be economical compared with more standard separation processes. It is in the transport of minority species from low partial pressure to high (e.g. 02 from seawater, C02 from air) where the benefits of the electrochemical driving force, as detailed at the outset of this chapter can best be exploited. Two final examples of contaminant control of great commercial interest demonstrate this principle. 

There are mainly three types of transducers used in immunosensors electrochemical, optical, and microgravimetric transducers. The immunosensors may operate either as direct immunosensors or as indirect ones. For direct immunosensors, the transducers directly detect the physical or chemical effects resulting from the immunocomplex formation at the interfaces, with no additional labels used. The direct immunosensors detect the analytes in real time. For indirect immunosensors, one or multiple labeled bio-reagents are commonly used during the detection processes, and the transducers should detect the signals from the labels. These indirect detections used to need several washing and separation steps and are sometimes called immunoassays. Compared with the direct immunosensors, the indirect immunosensors may have higher sensitivity and better ability to defend interference from non-specific adsorption. 

Electrochemical communication between electrode-bound enzyme and an electrode was confirmed by such electrochemical characterizations as differential pulse voltammetxy. As shown in Fig. 11, reversible electron transfer of molecularly interfaced FDH was confirmed by differential pulse voltammetry. The electrochemical characteristics of the polypyrrole interfaced FDH electrode were compared with those of the FDH electrode. The important difference between the electrochemical activities of these two electrodes is as follows by the employment of a conductive PP interface, the redox potential of FDH shifted slightly as compared to the redox potential of PQQ, which prosthetic group of FDH and the electrode shuttling between the prosthetic group of FDH and the electrode through the PP interface. In addition, the anodic and cathodic peak shapes and peak currents of PP/FDH/Pt electrode were identical, which suggests reversibility of the electron transport process. 

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