Redox, catalysis potential

A general theory based on the quantitative treatment of the reaction layer profile exists for pure redox catalysis where the crucial function of the redox mediator is solely electron transfer and where the catalytic activity largely depends only on the redox potential and not on the structure of the catalyst This theory is consistent... 

Certainly, the same arguments apply for chemical redox catalysis , but as discussed above, thinner films may be effective in this case. Hence, it will be reasonable to work with modified electrodes having a large effective area instead of thick films, i.e. three-dimensional, porous or fibrous electrodes. The notorious problem with current/potential distribution in such electrodes may be overcome by the potential bias given by selective redox catalysts. Some approaches in this direction are described in the next section. 

One limitation of the redox catalysis method derives from the fact that when the follow-up is so fast as to thwart back electron transfer, the forward electron transfer becomes the rate-determining step, therefore preventing the derivation of kinetic information on the follow-up reaction. Even under these unfavorable conditions, the redox catalysis approach may still allow determination of the standard potential yB, provided that the intrinsic barrier for electron transfer is not too high. 

As shown in Section 2.2.7, chemical reactions may be triggered by electrons or holes from an electrode as illustrated by SrnI substitutions (Section 2.5.6). Instead of involving the electrode directly, the reaction may be induced indirectly by means of redox catalysis, as illustrated in Scheme 2.15 for an SrnI reaction. An example is given in Figure 2.30, in which cyclic voltammetry allows one to follow the succession of events involved in this redox catalysis of an electrocatalytic process. In the absence of substrate (RX) and of nucleophile (Nu-), the redox catalysis, P, gives rise to a reversible response. A typical catalytic transformation of this wave is observed upon addition of RX, as discussed in Sections 2.2.6 and 2.3.1. The direct reduction wave of RX appears at more negative potentials, followed by the reversible wave of RH, which is the reduction product of RX (see Scheme 2.21). Upon addition of the nucleophile, the radical R is transformed into the anion radical of the substituted product, RNu -. RNu -... 

FIGURE 4.3. Redox and chemical homogeneous catalysis of trans-1,2 dibromocyclohexane. a cyclic voltammetry in DMF of the direct electrochemical reduction at a glassy carbon electrode (top), of redox catalysis by fhiorenone (middle), of chemical catalysis by an iron(I) porphyrin, b catalysis rate constant as a function of the standard potential of the catalyst couple aromatic anion radicals, Fe(I), a Fe(0), Co(I), Ni(I) porphyrins. Adapted from Figures 3 and 4 of reference lb, with permission from the American Chemical Society. 

The direct electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide requires very negative potentials, more negative than —2V vs. SCE. Redox catalysis, which implies the intermediacy of C02 (E° = —2.2 V vs. SCE), is accordingly rather inefficient.3 With aromatic anion radicals, catalysis is hampered in most cases by a two-electron carboxylation of the aromatic ring. Spectacular chemical catalysis is obtained with electrochemically generated iron(0) porphyrins, but the help of a synergistic effect of Bronsted and Lewis acids is required.4... 

Preparation of photo-active and redox-active dendritic macromolecules, which undergo simultaneous muitielectron transfer is also attractive. Considering the potential applications of these multimetallic dendrimers as electron transfer mediators in redox catalysis, photoinduced electron transfer, and molecular electronics, new interesting results can be awaited in the near future. 

The methods for the theoretical treatment of the homogeneous redox catalysis have been mainly developed by Saveant et al. These methods allow to calculate the lifetimes of short-lived anion radicals and the standard potentials of the substrates from redox-catalytic experiments which are directly not accessible... 

The second alternative to bypass a difficult RX reduction consists of using redox catalysis [29], Thus, the reduction of RX can be performed at the much less negative one-electron reversible reduction potential (Equation 12.18) of an adequate redox mediator M, which delivers the electron to RX through an homogeneous electron transfer when RX does exist (Equation 12.19), or for a concerted bondbreaking RX reduction (Equation 12.20) ... 

In all of the examples considered, Ei/2 of the acceptor was much more negative than that of the donor. However, in liquid phase one-electron transfer from a donor to an acceptor can proceed even with an unfavorable difference in the potentials if the system contains a third component, the so-called mediator. The mediator is a substance capable of accepting an electron from a donor and sending it instantly to an acceptor. Julliard and Chanon (1983), Chanon, Rajzmann, and Chanon (1990), and Saveant (1980, 1993) developed redox catalysis largely for use in electrochemistry. As an example, the reaction of ter-achloromethane with /V,/V,/V ,Af-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (TMPDA) can be discussed. The presence of p-benzoquinone (Q) in the system provokes electron transfer (Sosonkin et al. 1983). Because benzoquinone itself and tetrametyl-p-phenylenediamine interact faintly, the effect is evidently a result of redox catalysis. The following schemes reflect this kind of catalysis ... 

The mechanism of action of some Co porphyrins has been investigated [339]. It has been suggested that Co (I) is responsible for the reduction of water so that a sort of surface redox catalysis is operative. The principle of the activity is not very different from that of composite solid materials, e.g., oxides. Various solvents have been tested, and it has been found that the catalyst is especially active in neutral solution since the redox potential of the Co(II)/Co(I) couple approaches the potential of the H+/H2 couple. 

Using spin markers it could be shown that redox catalysis occurs in which the solvent itself plays the role of an electron carrier. Thus indirect reduction of aromatic halides having more negative potentials than benzonitrile has been achieved at the reduction potential of benzonitrile when it was used as a solvent211. 

How can a simple cofactor, such as heme, give rise to a wide spectrum of protein functionalities While the Fe(III)/Fe(II) couple has a standard redox potential of 0.77 V, when complexed with a protoporphyrin to form free heme, it may decrease to —0.115 V [3-5]. When heme is introduced into a protein matrix, redox potential shows an impressive variation of around 1 V. The electrochemical data for structurally characterized heme proteins involved in electron transfer and redox catalysis has been compiled at the Heme Protein Database (HPD, http //heme.chem. columbia.edu/heme) [6]. The database comprises not only peroxidases but also catalases, oxidases, monooxygenases, and cytochromes. From b-type heme with histidine-tyrosine ligation (E° = 0.55 V) to c-type heme with histidine-methionine... 

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