Reversible electrode reaction

Cyclic voltammetry provides a simple method for investigating the reversibility of an electrode reaction (table Bl.28.1). The reversibility of a reaction closely depends upon the rate of electron transfer being sufficiently high to maintain the surface concentrations close to those demanded by the electrode potential through the Nemst equation. Therefore, when the scan rate is increased, a reversible reaction may be transfomied to an irreversible one if the rate of electron transfer is slow. For a reversible reaction at a planar electrode, the peak current density, fp, is given by... 

Activation Processes. To be useful ia battery appHcations reactions must occur at a reasonable rate. The rate or abiUty of battery electrodes to produce current is determiaed by the kinetic processes of electrode operations, not by thermodynamics, which describes the characteristics of reactions at equihbrium when the forward and reverse reaction rates are equal. Electrochemical reaction kinetics (31—35) foUow the same general considerations as those of bulk chemical reactions. Two differences are a potential drop that exists between the electrode and the solution because of the electrical double layer at the electrode iaterface and the reaction that occurs at iaterfaces that are two-dimensional rather than ia the three-dimensional bulk. 

The rate of transfer of electrons in the external circuit 7, which is the rate actually measured by the ammeter, is the difference between rates of the dominant or forward reaction and the subsidiary or reverse reaction at each electrode, and it follows that... 

It is not appropriate here to consider the kinetics of the various electrode reactions, which in the case of the oxygenated NaCl solution will depend upon the potentials of the electrodes, the pH of the solution, activity of chloride ions, etc. The significant points to note are that (a) an anode or cathode can support more than one electrode process and b) the sum of the rates of the partial cathodic reactions must equal the sum of the rates of the partial anodic reactions. Since there are four exchange processes (equations 1.39-1.42) there will be eight partial reactions, but if the reverse reactions are regarded as occurring at an insignificant rate then... 

In redox flow batteries such as Zn/Cl2 and Zn/Br2, carbon plays a major role in the positive electrode where reactions involving Cl2 and Br2 occur. In these types of batteries, graphite is used as the bipolar separator, and a thin layer of high-surface-area carbon serves as an electrocatalyst. Two potential problems with carbon in redox flow batteries are (i) slow oxidation of carbon and (ii) intercalation of halogen molecules, particularly Br2 in graphite electrodes. The reversible redox potentials for the Cl2 and Br2 reactions [Eq. (8) and... 

A cell diagram corresponds to a specific cell reaction in which the right-hand electrode in the cell diagram is treated as the site of reduction and the left-hand electrode is treated as the site of oxidation. The sign of the emf then distinguishes whether the resulting reaction is spontaneous in the direction written ( > 0) or whether the reverse reaction is spontaneous ( < 0). 

C19-0094. The alkaline diy cell is not rechargeable. The solid products separate from the electrodes, so the reverse reactions cannot occur. What reactions may take place if an opposing potential sufficient to reverse the reactions is applied to a dry cell ... 

This is an example of a reversible reaction the standard electrode potential of the 2PS/PSSP + 2c couple is zero at pH 7. The oxidation kinetics are simple second-order and the presence of a radical intermediate (presumably PS-) was detected. Reaction occurs in the pH range 5 to 13 with a maximum rate at pH 6.2, and the activation energy above 22 °C is zero. The ionic strength dependence of 2 afforded a value for z Zg of 9 from the Bronsted relation... 

The values of exchange current density observed for different electrodes (or reactions) vary within wide limits. The higher they are (or the more readily charges cross the interface), the more readily will the equilibrium Galvani potential be established and the higher will be the stability of this potential against external effects. Electrode reactions (electrodes) for which equilibrium is readily established are called thermodynamically reversible reactions (electrodes). But low values of the exchange current indicate that the electrode reaction is slow (kinetically limited). 

It follows from the figures and also from an analysis of Eq. (6.40) that in the particular case being discussed, electrode operation is almost purely diffusion controlled at all potentials when flij>5. By convention, reactions of this type are called reversible (reactions thermodynamically in equilibrium). When this ratio is decreased, a region of mixed control arises at low current densities. When the ratio falls below 0.05, we are in a region of almost purely kinetic control. In the case of reactions for which the ratio has values of less than 0.02, the kinetic region is not restricted to low values of polarization but extends partly to high values of polarization. By convention, such reactions are called irreversible. We must remember... 

Consider the shape of the E vs. t relation for the cathodic reaction Ox + ne — Red, and assume that the initial product concentration = 0. Assume further that the share of nonfaradcaic current is small and that all the applied current can be regarded as faradaic. In reversible reactions the electrode potential is determined by the values of c. and Prior to current flow the potential is highly positive since Ci, red = v,xsi 0- When the current has been turned on, the changes in surface concentrations are determined by Eqs. (11.10). Substituting these values into theNemst equation and taking into account that in our case = 0, we obtain... 

Chronopotentiometry at a dme appeared to be impossible until Kies828 recently developed polarography with controlled current density, i.e., with a current density sweep. He explained the method as follows. The high current density during the first stage of the drop life results in the initiation of a secondary electrolysis process at a more negative electrode potential followed by a reverse reaction with rapid (reversible) systems because of the increase in the electrode potential. 

Two things to notice are that fc, will depend on the reference electrode chosen and secondly E° is the equilibrium potential not for the standard hydrogen electrode but rather for the electrochemical equilibrium between H+ and H ds. This can be seen by explicitly writing out the equation corresponding to the reverse reaction ... 

In the stepwise case, the intermediate ion radical cleaves in a second step. Adaptation of the Morse curve model to the dynamics of ion radical cleavages, viewed as intramolecular dissociative electron transfers. Besides the prediction of the cleavage rate constants, this adaptation opens the possibility of predicting the rate constants for the reverse reaction (i.e., the reaction of radicals with nucleophiles). The latter is the key step of SrnI chemistry, in which electrons (e.g., electrons from an electrode) may be used as catalysts of a chemical reaction. A final section of the chapter deals... 

If no chemical steps are coupled to the ET at the electrode, the reaction mechanism is fully described by A (thermodynamics), n (stoichiometry), D (transport), as well as ks, and a (kinetics). It is characteristic to find a fully developed reverse peak in the cyclic voltammogram [49]. Qualitatively, it is important to diagnose full diffusion control (Er). Cyclic voltammetry allows this by inspection of the peak potential difference A p = E — For Er, A p is independent of v, while for Eqr an increase of v (faster timescale) causes AEp to increase (Figure 8a) [50]. 

Equilibrium Potential The minimum potential, which is necessary to perform a (reversible) reaction, is the equilibrium potential E, defined for zero cell current. It is typical for a given reaction. By definition, it is related to the NHE, which represents the potential zero. If the electrode reaction is coupled with the reaction 2 + 2e H2 at the NHE, theoreti-... 

E = Faraday constant). The equilibrium potential E is dependent on the temperature and on the concentrations (activities) of the oxidized and reduced species of the reactants according to the Nemst equation (see Chapter 1). In practice, electroorganic conversions mostly are not simple reversible reactions. Often, they will include, for example, energy-rich intermediates, complicated reaction mechanisms, and irreversible steps. In this case, it is difficult to define E and it has only poor practical relevance. Then, a suitable value of the redox potential is used as a base for the design of an electroorganic synthesis. It can be estimated from measurements of the peak potential in cyclovoltammetry or of the half-wave potential in polarography (see Chapter 1). Usually, a common RE such as the calomel electrode is applied (see Sect. 2.5.1.6.1). Numerous literature data are available, for example, in [5b, 8, 9]. 

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