Potential amalgams

Anodic-stripping voltaimnetry (ASV) is used for the analysis of cations in solution, particularly to detemiine trace heavy metals. It involves pre-concentrating the metals at the electrode surface by reducmg the dissolved metal species in the sample to the zero oxidation state, where they tend to fomi amalgams with Hg. Subsequently, the potential is swept anodically resulting in the dissolution of tire metal species back into solution at their respective fomial potential values. The detemiination step often utilizes a square-wave scan (SWASV), since it increases the rapidity of tlie analysis, avoiding interference from oxygen in solution, and improves the sensitivity. This teclmique has been shown to enable the simultaneous detemiination of four to six trace metals at concentrations down to fractional parts per billion and has found widespread use in seawater analysis. 

The electrode potential of aluminium would lead us to expect attack by water. The inertness to water is due to the formation of an unreactive layer of oxide on the metal surface. In the presence of mercury, aluminium readily forms an amalgam (destroying the original surface) which is. therefore, rapidly attacked by water. Since mercury can be readily displaced from its soluble salts by aluminium, contact with such salts must be avoided if rapid corrosion and weakening of aluminium structures is to be prevented. 

Despite its electrode potential (p. 98), very pure zinc has little or no reaction with dilute acids. If impurities are present, local electrochemical cells are set up (cf the rusting of iron. p. 398) and the zinc reacts readily evolving hydrogen. Amalgamation of zinc with mercury reduces the reactivity by giving uniformity to the surface. Very pure zinc reacts readily with dilute acids if previously coated with copper by adding copper(II) sulphate ... 

The mercury cell operates efficiently because of the higher overpotential of hydrogen on mercury to achieve the preferential formation of sodium amalgam. Certain trace elements, such as vanadium, can lower the hydrogen overpotential, however, resulting in the release of hydrogen in potentially dangerous amounts. 

Reference Electrodes and Liquid Junctions. The electrical cincuit of the pH ceU is completed through a salt bridge that usually consists of a concentrated solution of potassium chloride [7447-40-7]. The solution makes contact at one end with the test solution and at the other with a reference electrode of constant potential. The Hquid junction is formed at the area of contact between the salt bridge and the test solution. The mercury—mercurous chloride electrode, the calomel electrode, provides a highly reproducible potential in the potassium chloride bridge solution and is the most widely used reference electrode. However, mercurous chloride is converted readily into mercuric ion and mercury when in contact with concentrated potassium chloride solutions above 80°C. This disproportionation reaction causes an unstable potential with calomel electrodes. Therefore, the silver—silver chloride electrode and the thallium amalgam—thallous chloride electrode often are preferred for measurements above 80°C. However, because silver chloride is relatively soluble in concentrated solutions of potassium chloride, the solution in the electrode chamber must be saturated with silver chloride. 

Ideally a standard cell is constmcted simply and is characterized by a high constancy of emf, a low temperature coefficient of emf, and an emf close to one volt. The Weston cell, which uses a standard cadmium sulfate electrolyte and electrodes of cadmium amalgam and a paste of mercury and mercurous sulfate, essentially meets these conditions. The voltage of the cell is 1.0183 V at 20°C. The a-c Josephson effect, which relates the frequency of a superconducting oscillator to the potential difference between two superconducting components, is used by NIST to maintain the unit of emf. The definition of the volt, however, remains as the Q/A derivation described. 

The very low Hg concentration levels in ice core of remote glaciers require an ultra-sensitive analytical technique as well as a contamination-free sample preparation methodology. The potential of two analytical techniques for Hg determination - cold vapour inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (CV ICP-SFMS) and atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS) with gold amalgamation was studied. 

This value does not express the actual result since side and/or parallel reactions (e.g., H+ or 02 reduction) are not considered, but it does demonstrate the completeness of the cementation process and the effectiveness of this liquid-liquid extraction. During this extraction no external current flows through the phase boundary Hg (amalgam)/solution thereby establishing a potentiometric condition. The question of the potential difference at the phase boundary can be answered by constructing the experimentally accessible current-voltage curves for the reactions ... 

In an Evans diagram 89> the mixed potential can easily be found and also be verified by measuring the open circuit potential of a zinc-amalgam electrode in a Cu2+-ion solution. Even the complication by the simultaneous presence of another reducible species, e.g., Pbz+ can be graphically demonstrated for different limiting conditions... 

Fig. 3. Evans-diagram for the cementation of Cu2+ and Pb2 with zinc amalgam of different zinc content. If the zinc concentration in the mercury employed for this special extraction technique is low, the anodic zinc-dissolution current density may be diffusion controlled and below the limiting cathodic current density for the copper reduction. The resulting mixed potential will lie near the halfwave potential for the reaction Cu2+ + 2e j Cu°(Hg) and only Cu2 ions are cemented into the mercury.

If — during this process — the Cu2+-concentration decreases, the mixed potential will shift along the cathodic partial current density curve (like a polarographic curve in this example) toward the equilibrium potential of the zinc amalgam, in case the amalgam reservior is large enough. 

If the zinc amalgam concentration is high, both Cu2 -and Pb2+-ions are simultaneously cemented from the very beginning and the mixed potential lies near the equilibrium potential of the zinc amalgam. 

This figure demonstrates that also under potentiometric conditions (- no external current flow) electrochemical net reactions occur. The EMF of the zinc-amalgam in a given Zn2 -ion solution depends on the current-voltage characteristic of other ions (in this example, Cu2 and Pb2 are interfering ions with respect to the Zn2 equilibrium potential) at the amalgam electrode. EMF drifts are thus explainable. 

The silver reductor has a relatively low reduction potential (the Ag/AgCl electrode potential in 1M hydrochloric acid is 0.2245 volt), and consequently it is not able to effect many of the reductions which can be made with amalgamated zinc. The silver reductor is preferably used with hydrochloric acid solutions, and this is frequently an advantage. The various reductions which can be effected with the silver and the amalgamated zinc reductors are summarised in Table 10.11. ... 

Light filters for colorimeters, see Filters, optical Limiting cathode potential 509 see also Controlled potential electro-analysis Linear regression 145 Lion intoximeter 747 Liquid amalgams applications of, 412 apparatus for reductions, 413 general discussion, 412 reductions with, (T) 413 zinc amalgam, 413 Liquid ion exchangers structure, 204 uses, 204, 560... 

Reductant equivalent weights of, 847 Reduction 409 by chromium(II) salts, 409 by hydrogen sulphide, 416 by Jones reductor (zinc amalgam), 410 by liquid amalgams, 412 by silver reductor, 414 by sulphurous acid, 416 by tin(II) chloride, 415 by titanium(II[), 410 by vanadium(II), 410 see also Iron(III), reduction of Reduction potentials 66 Reference electrodes potentials, (T) 554 Relative atomic masses (T) 819 Relative error 134 mean deviation, 134... 

For example, the reaction enthalpy for the reduction of PC proceeding at lithium amalgam to form propylene gas and lithium carbonate is estimated to be -I41kcal (molPC)-1 [149]. PC is reduced at noble-metal electrodes at potentials below 1.5 V vs. Li, and yields lithium alkyl carbonates when lithium salts are the supporting electrolytes. Reduction occurs at 0.7-0.8 V vs. Li with Bu4NC104as supporting electrolyte [150],... 

P9.3 The potentials (emfs) of lithium amalgam electrodes in the cell... 

Anodic shipping voltammetry (ASV) is the most widely used form of stripping analysis, hi this case, the metals are preconcenhated by elechodeposition into a small-volume mercury electrode (a tiiin mercury film or a hanging mercury drop). The preconcenhation is done by catiiodic deposition at a controlled tune and potential. The deposition potential is usually 0.3-0.5 V more negative than E° for the least easily reduced metal ion to be determined. The metal ions reach die mercury electrode by diffusion and convection, where diey are reduced and concentrated as amalgams ... 

Most sulphones are known to react with chemical reducing reagents like dissolved metals or amalgams. However, electron transfers may be produced also directly from metallic or conducting carbon cathodes maintained at a certain potential depending on the desired reducing power. We will discuss the reactivity of sulphones towards electrons issued from cathodes, especially in the light of recent results. 

Liquid alloys of Hg with a variety of metals (amalgams) constitute particularly complex systems in view of the potential dependence of surface composition. A detailed study of In and T1 amalgams, with... 

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