Liquid redox potentials

This section reviews three groups of processes each with two representatives. The first group contains the Perox and Takahax processes, which utilize the liquid redox potential of... 

The photoelectrolysis of H2O can be performed in cells being very similar to those applied for the production of electricity. They differ only insofar as no additional redox couple is used in a photoelectrolysis cell. The energy scheme of corresponding systems, semiconductor/liquid/Pt, is illustrated in Fig. 9, the upper scheme for an n-type, the lower for a p-type electrode. In the case of an n-type electrode the hole created by light excitation must react with H2O resulting in 02-formation whereas at the counter electrode H2 is produced. The electrolyte can be described by two redox potentials, E°(H20/H2) and E (H20/02) which differ by 1.23 eV. At equilibrium (left side of Fig. 9) the electrochemical potential (Fermi level) is constant in the whole system and it occurs in the electrolyte somewhere between the two standard energies E°(H20/H2) and E°(H20/02). The exact position depends on the relative concentrations of H2 and O2. Illuminating the n-type electrode the electrons are driven toward the bulk of the semiconductor and reach the counter electrode via the external circuit at which they are consumed for Hj-evolution whereas the holes are dir tly... 

From the thermodynamic point of view, the occurrence of a heterogeneous ET event at a liquid-liquid interface is determined not only by the relation of redox potentials between reactants in each phase, but also by the Galvani potential difference. Let us consider the general reaction,... 

Heterogeneous ET reactions at polarizable liquid-liquid interfaces have been mainly approached from current potential relationships. In this respect, a rather important issue is to minimize the contribution of ion-transfer reactions to the current responses associated with the ET step. This requirement has been recognized by several authors [43,62,67-72]. Firstly, reactants and products should remain in their respective phases within the potential range where the ET process takes place. In addition to redox stability, the supporting electrolytes should also provide an appropriate potential window for the redox reaction. According to Eqs. (2) and (3), the redox potentials of the species involved in the ET should match in a way that the formal electron-transfer potential occurs within the potential window established by the transfer of the ionic species present at the liquid-liquid junction. The results shown in Figs. 1 and 2 provide an example of voltammetric ET responses when the above conditions are fulfilled. A difference of approximately 150 mV is observed between Ao et A" (.+. ... 

Second, in designing new molecule-based electronic devices, one of the major goals is the precise control of the current flowing between the terminals. Electrochemical molecular junctions allow for control of the potentials of the electrodes with respect to the redox potential of incorporated redox-active molecules with well-defined, accessible, tunable energy states. These junctions represent unique systems able to predict precisely at which applied potential the current flow will take off. Even though the presence of a liquid electrolyte represents a detriment towards possible applications, they provide the concepts for designing molecular devices that mimic electronic functions and control electrical responses. 

Henderson or Plank formalisms. Mobilities for several ions can be seen in Table 18a. 1. Liquid junction potentials can become more problematic with voltammetric or amperometric measurements. For example, the redox potentials of a given analyte measured in different solvent systems cannot be directly compared, since the liquid junction potential will be different for each solvent system. However, the junction potential Ej can be constant and reproducible. It can also be very small (about 2-3 mV) if the anion and cation of the salt bridge have similar mobilities. As a result, for most practical measurements the liquid junction potential can be neglected [9]. 

In addition to the above prescriptions, many other quantities such as solution phase ionization potentials (IPs) [15], nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) chemical shifts and IR absorption frequencies [16-18], charge decompositions [19], lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energies [20-23], IPs [24], redox potentials [25], high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) [26], solid-state syntheses [27], Ke values [28], isoelectrophilic windows [29], and the harmonic oscillator models of the aromaticity (HOMA) index [30], have been proposed in the literature to understand the electrophilic and nucleophilic characteristics of chemical systems. 

Theoretical cell potential The algebraic sum of the individual redox potentials of an electrochemical cell at zero current, i.e. emf = Epositive electrode - negative electrode- In practice, when Current flows in a cell, a liquid junction potential is present, and the cell potential is larger than this theoretical value. 

Sorption of pharmaceuticals onto the surface of particulate matter or their distribution between two phases (water and either sludge, sediment or soil) depends on many factors, the most important being liquid phase pH and redox potential, the stereochemical structure and chemical nature of both the pharmaceutical compound and the sorbent, the lipophilicity of the sorbed molecules (excellent sorption at log Kov > 4, low sorption at log < 2.4), the sludge-water distribution coefficient Kd Kd > 2 L g SS good sorption, < 0.3 L g SS low sorption), the extent of neutral and ioiuc species present in the wastewater and the characteristics of the suspended particles. Moreover, the presence of humic and fulvic substances may alter the surface properties of the sludge, as well as the number of sites available for sorption and reactions, thereby enhancing or suppressing sorption of PhCs [38, 55, 61]. 

The ionisation state of molecules in the solution state appears to be an important variable in photodegradation mechanisms. A recent pubhcation on riboflavin oral liquid preparations shows that the formulation is most photostable at pHs between 5 and 6, where the non-ionised form predominates [78]. The rate of photolysis increase 80-fold at pH 10.0, owing to increased redox potential. Conversely, at pH 3.0, the increased photolysis is associated with the excited singlet state, in addition to the triplet state. 

It was also observed, in 1973, that the fast reduction of Cu ions by solvated electrons in liquid ammonia did not yield the metal and that, instead, molecular hydrogen was evolved [11]. These results were explained by assigning to the quasi-atomic state of the nascent metal, specific thermodynamical properties distinct from those of the bulk metal, which is stable under the same conditions. This concept implied that, as soon as formed, atoms and small clusters of a metal, even a noble metal, may exhibit much stronger reducing properties than the bulk metal, and may be spontaneously corroded by the solvent with simultaneous hydrogen evolution. It also implied that for a given metal the thermodynamics depended on the particle nuclearity (number of atoms reduced per particle), and it therefore provided a rationalized interpretation of other previous data [7,9,10]. Furthermore, experiments on the photoionization of silver atoms in solution demonstrated that their ionization potential was much lower than that of the bulk metal [12]. Moreover, it was shown that the redox potential of isolated silver atoms in water must... 

The one-electron electrochemical reduction of NP (57) is a reversible process in aqueous solution, provided the measurements are performed at pH > 8 (—0.123 V vs. NHE) (57a,57b). Different chemical reductants such as sodium in liquid ammonia, tetrahydroborate, ascorbic acid, quinol, dithionite, superoxide or thiolates are also known to generate the [Fen(CN)5NO]3 ion (48,57). However, care must be taken in the products analysis, because the negative redox potentials of some of these reductants allow for further nitrosyl reduction (57a). Also, the reduced product is unstable toward cyanide... 

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