One-electron steps

The mechanism of the cathode reaction for all three types of Mn02 can best be described by two approximately one-electron steps. 

In 1979, a viable theory to explain the mechanism of chromium electroplating from chromic acid baths was developed (176). An initial layer of polychromates, mainly HCr3 0 Q, is formed contiguous to the outer boundary of the cathode s Helmholtz double layer. Electrons move across the Helmholtz layer by quantum mechanical tunneling to the end groups of the polychromate oriented in the direction of the double layer. Cr(VI) is reduced to Cr(III) in one-electron steps and a colloidal film of chromic dichromate is produced. Chromous dichromate is formed in the film by the same tunneling mechanism, and the Cr(II) forms a complex with sulfate. Bright chromium deposits are obtained from this complex. 

The electrodeposition of Ag has also been intensively investigated [41 3]. In the chloroaluminates - as in the case of Cu - it is only deposited from acidic solutions. The deposition occurs in one step from Ag(I). On glassy carbon and tungsten, three-dimensional nucleation was reported [41]. Quite recently it was reported that Ag can also be deposited in a one-electron step from tetrafluoroborate ionic liquids [43]. However, the charge-transfer reaction seems to play an important role in this medium and the deposition is not as reversible as in the chloroaluminate systems. 

Johans et al. derived a model for diffusion-controlled electrodeposition at liquid-liquid interface taking into account the development of diffusion fields in both phases [91]. The current transients exhibited rising portions followed by planar diffusion-controlled decay. These features are very similar to those commonly observed in three-dimensional nucleation of metals onto solid electrodes [173-175]. The authors reduced aqueous ammonium tetrachloropalladate by butylferrocene in DCE. The experimental transients were in good agreement with the theoretical ones. The nucleation rate was considered to depend exponentially on the applied potential and a one-electron step was found to be rate determining. The results were taken to confirm the absence of preferential nucleation sites at the liquid-liquid interface. Other nucleation work at the liquid-liquid interface has described the formation of two-dimensional metallic films with rather interesting fractal shapes [176]. 

J. Heyrovsky and K. Holleck and B. Kastening pointed out that the reduction of aromatic nitrocompounds is characterized by a fast one-electron step, e.g. 

The most characteristic feature of nickel dithiolene complexes is the existence of an electron transfer series whose members are interrelated by reversible one-electron steps. Three members I-III of the series, I and III being diamagnetic and II having an S= 1/2 ground state, are preparatively accessible [Ni(S2C2R2)2]2 (I) <- [Ni(S2C2R2)2]1 - (II) <- [Ni(S2C2R2)2] (HI). 

In accord with this mechanism, a single two-electron oxidation of the enzyme into Compound I by hydrogen peroxide (Reaction (8)) is followed by two one-electron steps Reaction (9), in which substrate RH is oxidized to a radical R and Compound I is reduced to Compound II and Reaction (10), in which Compound II is reduced to native MPO, completing the catalytic... 

Most quinone reductions go through an intermediate radical or semiquinone stage, usually revealed by a one-electron step in the redox potential.100 The radical formed by the reduction of compound VI is especially stable, probably because of the additional involvement of the benzoyl group.101 The ordinary semiquinones are more stable in basic solution since some of the resonance structures of the neutral radical involve separation of charges. 

Hexacyano[3]radialene (50) is a very powerful electron acceptor according to both experiment23,24 35 and MNDO calculations of LUMO energy and adiabatic electron affinity25. The easy reduction to the stable species 50" and 502- by KBr and Nal, respectively, has already been mentioned. Similarly, the hexaester 51 is reduced to 512-by Lil24. Most [3]radialenes with two or three quinoid substituents are reduced in two subsequent, well-separated, reversible one-electron steps. As an exception, an apparent two-electron reduction occurs for 4620. The reduction potentials of some [3]radialenes of this type, as determined by cyclic voltammetry, are collected in Table 1. Due to the occurrence of the first reduction step at relatively high potential, all these radialenes... 

The redox electrochemistry of thin polymer films is a particularly useful field of application for the quartz microbalance. As an example, we review experiments on poly(xylylviologen) films [15]. The viologen groups can be reversibly reduced in two discrete one-electron steps. 

In an aqueous medium the reduction of inorganic ions (for example, Cu2+, Zn2+, Cd2+) to their respective metallic states takes place by a single two-electron process. In effect, however, the process only apparently involves a two-electron step, in that it is assumed that multi-electron processes proceed by a sequence of elementary one-electron steps. Every elementary step is characterized by its own rate constant and its own standard potential. 

It undergoes an oxidation and a first reduction process, both of which involve a one-electron step and are chemically reversible. The more cathodic two-electron reduction is probably centred on the bipy ligand. 

A further group of nonbenzenoid aromatics is the series of odd-membered cations and anions such as cycloprope-nium (14) and tropylium cations (15) as well as cyclopentadienyl (16) and cyclononatetracenyl anions (17). Regarding the arguments for the properties of Hiickel-like 4 + 2 jr-systems, all these molecules should be energetically stabilized. Obviously, this is not fulfilled in all cases. The tropylium cation (15) can be reduced in a one-electron step to the tropyl radical even at A = +0.06 V vs. SCE [85, 86]. The radical is unstable and rapidly dimerizes to bitropyl. The hep-taphenyl tropylium radical is stable on the voltammetric timescale, but decays... 

Azobenzenes, (29), and analogous heteroaromatic azo compounds, (30), are in aprotic solvents reduced in two sequential one-electron steps to the radical anion and the dianion [61-66]. Disproportionation of the radical anion to the dianion is favored by the presence of Li+ [67]. The dianion is considerably more basic than the radical anion, and the dianion is only stable in very dry nonacidic solvents [64, 65, 67, 68]. Both the dianion and the radical anion derived from (29) have been used as EGBs. The anion resulting from protonation of the dianion is less basic (by several pK units) than the dianion but more basic than... 

In terms of electron transfer reactions, transition metal ions can be the one- or two-electron type. The two-electron ions transform into unstable states on unit change of the metal oxidation number. In the outer-sphere mechanism, two-electron transfer is a combination of two one-electron steps. 

In contrast, one-electron polarographic redaction of a,p-dinitrostilbene yields an anion-radical, wMch is stabilized in a nitronic form with a carboradical center. These radicals possess an enhanced electron affinity and are prone to the capture of the second electron at the first wave potential, with the formation of a stable dinitronic dianion. In the case of a,p-dinitrostilbene, the cathodic reduction cannot be stopped at the one-electron step (Todres 1991 see Scheme 2.12). 

As an analogous example, the behavior of sulfonium salts can be mentioned. At mercury electrodes, sulfonium salts bearing trialkyl (Colichman and Love 1953) or triaryl (Matsuo 1958) fragments can be reduced, with the formation of sulfur-centered radicals. These radicals are adsorbed on the mercury surface. After this, carboradicals are eliminated. The carboradicals capture one more electron and transform into carbanions. This is the final stage of reduction. The mercury surface cooperates with both the successive one-electron steps (Scheme 2.23 Luettringhaus and Machatzke 1964). This scheme is important for the problem of hidden adsorption, but it cannot be generalized in terms of stepwise versus concerted mechanism of dissociative electron transfer. As shown, the reduction of some sulfonium salts does follow the stepwise mechanism, but others are reduced according to the concerted mechanism (Andrieux et al. 1994). 

Two current alternative views are available as to how remotely boimd NADPH may work. One sees its action as involving two successive one-electron oxidations (52, 53). The effectiveness of NADPH in preventing compound II formation is then due to the high reactivity of the NADP intermediate as reductant of the compound II generated in the first one-electron step. The other model (47) prefers to see NADPH as a hydride donor responsible for the almost simultaneous reduction of the ferryl iron and the protein radical species. 

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