Redox reactions/couples/systems

Formally, in redox reactions there is transfer of electrons from a donor (the reductant) to the acceptor (the oxidant), forming a redox couple or pair. Oxidations in biological systems are often reactions in which hydrogen is removed from a compound or in which oxygen is added to a compound. An example is the oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde and then to acetic acid where the oxidant is NAD. catalyzed by alcohol dehydrogenase and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, respectively. 

Added stability in PEC can be attained through the use of non-aqueous solvents. Noufi et al. [68] systematically evaluated various non-aqueous ferro-ferricyanide electrolytes (DMF, acetonitrile, PC, alcohols) for use in stabilizing n-CdSe photoanodes. Selection of the solvent was discussed in terms of inherent stability provided, the rate of the redox reaction, the tendency toward specific adsorption of the redox species, and the formal potential of the redox couple with respect to the flat band potential (attainable open-circuit voltage). On the basis of these data, the methanol/Fe(CN)6 system (transparent below 2.6 eV) was chosen as providing complete stabilization of CdSe. Results were presented for cells of the type... 

As mentioned earlier, a great deal of literature has dealt with the properties of heterogeneous liquid systems such as microemulsions, micelles, vesicles, and lipid bilayers in photosynthetic processes [114,115,119]. At externally polarizable ITIES, the control on the Galvani potential difference offers an extra variable, which allows tuning reaction paths and rates. For instance, the rather high interfacial reactivity of photoexcited porphyrin species has proved to be able to promote processes such as the one shown in Fig. 3(b). The inhibition of back ET upon addition of hexacyanoferrate in the photoreaction of Fig. 17 is an example of a photosynthetic reaction at polarizable ITIES [87,166]. At Galvani potential differences close to 0 V, a direct redox reaction involving an equimolar ratio of the hexacyanoferrate couple and TCNQ features an uphill ET of approximately 0.10 eV (see Fig. 4). However, the excited state of the porphyrin heterodimer can readily inject an electron into TCNQ and subsequently receive an electron from ferrocyanide. For illumination at 543 nm (2.3 eV), the overall photoprocess corresponds to a 4% conversion efficiency. 

In order to clarify the reason for the coupling of the redox reaction between O2 and CQH2 with the ion transfer at the W/DCE interface in system of Eq. (25), current-scan polarograms for ion transfers at the W/DCE interface (cf. curves 3 to 5 in Fig. 5) were compared with that for the interfacial redox reaction (cf. curve 1 in Fig. 8). From the comparison, it is clear that transfers of TPenA" " and TBA+ from W to DCE proceed at potentials in Range A where the polarographic wave due to the redox reaction... 

The reductive coupling of allyl halides to 1,5-hexadiene at glassy C electrodes was catalyzed by tris(2, 2,-bipyridyl)cobalt(II) and tris(4,4 -dimethyl-2, 2/-bipyridyl)cobalt(II) in aqueous solutions of 0.1 M sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) or 0.1 M cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB).48 An organocobalt(I) intermediate was observed by its separate voltammetric reduction peak in each system studied. This intermediate undergoes an internal redox reaction to form 1,5-hexadiene... 

This redox couple has been studied in H2S04 and tartaric acid at the dropping mercury interface by Delahay et al.u They only reported the value of a for the reaction. This system is only stable when the concentration of Ti3+ is 10 to 20 times higher than that of Ti4+. The AE / V versus w l/2 plots for this reaction in 1.0 N HC1 are shown in Fig. 10 and the kinetic parameters60 are given in Table 3. The value of a is 0.49 and k°a = 5.56 x 10 4cm/s. The reaction appears to be irreversible. 

In biochemical systems, acid-base and redox reactions are essential. Electron transfer plays an obvious, crucial role in photosynthesis, and redox reactions are central to the response to oxidative stress, and to the innate immune system and inflammatory response. Acid-base and proton transfer reactions are a part of most enzyme mechanisms, and are also closely linked to protein folding and stability. Proton and electron transfer are often coupled, as in almost all the steps of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. 

The general features discussed so far can explain the complexity of these reactions alone. However, thermodynamic and kinetic couplings between the redox steps, the complex equilibria of the metal ion and/or the proton transfer reactions of the substrate(s) lead to further complications and composite concentration dependencies of the reaction rate. The speciation in these systems is determined by the absolute concentrations and the concentration ratios of the reactants as well as by the pH which is often controlled separately using appropriately selected buffers. Perhaps, the most intriguing task is to identify the active form of the catalyst which can be a minor, undetectable species. When the protolytic and complex-formation reactions are relatively fast, they can be handled as rapidly established pre-equilibria (thermodynamic coupling), but in any other case kinetic coupling between the redox reactions and other steps needs to be considered in the interpretation of the kinetics and mechanism of the autoxidation process. This may require the use of comprehensive evaluation techniques. 

While not stated explicitly, in this discussion so far, it has been assumed that all the systems were well defined, at equilibrium, and at a constant 25°C. None of these conditions occur in soil in the environment. Soil is not a pure system and, often, all the components affecting redox reactions are not known, defined, or understood, and a host of different redox couples are likely to be present. Unless it is possible to take into account all couples present, it is not possible to describe the exact redox conditions in a soil without measuring it. 

The thermodynamic feasibility of redox reactions at the semiconductor-electrolyte interface can be assessed from thermodynamic considerations. Since typical redox potentials for many redox couples encountered in electrolytes of natural or technical systems often lie between the band potentials of typical semiconductors, many electron transfer reactions are (thermodynamically) feasible (Pichat and Fox, 1988). With the right choice of semiconductor material and pH the redox potential of the cb can be varied from 0.5 to 1.5 V and that of the vb from 1 to more than 3.5 V (see Fig. 10.4). 

Equation (6) links, in a simple way, the thermodynamically important stability constants Kox and /Cred of a complex in different oxidation states with experimentally measurable redox potentials EH and EHa. Therefore it provides an easy way to obtain the ratio of KoxIKted, which is a theoretically useful parameter known as the binding enhancement factor (BEF). We propose that a better description for this ratio would be the reaction coupling efficiency (RCE) since binding by so-called molecular switches may be reduced or enhanced, depending upon the particular system involved. Equation (6) also allows the calculation of Kox if Kted is known or vice versa. 

This review has been concerned with illustrating the concept of electrochemical recognition of guest species by redox-active host systems and the pathways by which the complexation and electrochemical reactions are coupled together. Initially, four pathways for the communication of complexation and redox processes were introduced and the examples presented in the review... 

Which redox couple in a redox reaction has the oxidizing role and which the redncing role depends on the relative abilities of the two couples to accept or donate electrons. For example O2 has a greater affinity for electrons than other potential oxidants in natnral systems, and is therefore reduced preferentially. The means of quantifying the relative abilities of redox conples to accept or donate electrons and the corresponding free energy changes is as follows. 

Subsequently, Backvall and coworkers developed triple-catalysis systems to enable the use of dioxygen as the stoichiometric oxidant (Scheme 3) [30-32]. Macrocyclic metal complexes (Chart 1) serve as cocatalysts to mediate the dioxygen-coupled oxidation of hydroquinone. Polyoxometallates have also been used as cocatalysts [33]. The researchers propose that the cocatalyst/BQ systems are effective because certain thermodynamically favored redox reactions between reagents in solution (including the reaction of Pd° with O2) possess high kinetic barriers, and the cocatalytic mixture exhibits highly selective kinetic control for the redox couples shown in Scheme 3 [27]. 

First and foremost, the redox couple must be reversible, meaning relatively fast electron transfer reactions and products that are stable in both oxidation states. As discussed previously, for systems in which the hydrogen bonds are to be directly perturbed, the redox reaction must affect the charge distribution on the atoms involved... 

Oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions involve the transfer of an electron from an electron donor (reducing agent) to an electron acceptor (oxidizing agent). The species that loses electrons is said to be oxidized while that which accepts electrons is reduced. Since there can be no net transfer of electrons to or from a system, redox reactions must be coupled and the oxidation reaction occurs simultaneously with a reduction reaction. 

It is important not to confuse the reactions of Eq. 17-42 as they occur in an aerobic cell with the tightly coupled pair of redox reactions in the homolactate fermentation (Fig. 10-3 Eq. 17-19). Tire reactions of steps a and c of Eq. 17-42 are essentially at equilibrium, but the reaction of step b may be relatively slow. Furthermore, pyruvate is utilized in many other metabolic pathways and ATP is hydrolyzed and converted to ADP through innumerable processes taking place within the cell. Reduced NAD does not cycle between the two enzymes in a stoichiometric way and the "reducing equivalents" of NADH formed are, in large measure, transferred to the mitochondria. The proper view of the reactions of Eq. 17-42 is that the redox pairs represent a kind of redox buffer system that poises the NAD+/NADH couple at a ratio appropriate for its metabolic function. 

In the discussion of the biochemistry of copper in Section 62.1.8 it was noted that three types of copper exist in copper enzymes. These are type 1 ( blue copper centres) type 2 ( normal copper centres) and type 3 (which occur as coupled pairs). All three classes are present in the blue copper oxidases laccase, ascorbate oxidase and ceruloplasmin. Laccase contains four copper ions per molecule, and the other two contain eight copper ions per molecule. In all cases oxidation of substrate is linked to the four-electron reduction of dioxygen to water. Unlike cytochrome oxidase, these are water-soluble enzymes, and so are convenient systems for studying the problems of multielectron redox reactions. The type 3 pair of copper centres constitutes the 02-reducing sites in these enzymes, and provides a two-electron pathway to peroxide, bypassing the formation of superoxide. Laccase also contains one type 1 and one type 2 centre. While ascorbate oxidase contains eight copper ions per molecule, so far ESR and analysis data have led to the identification of type 1 (two), type 2 (two) and type 3 (four) copper centres. 

The contaminant redox reactions just summarized only occur when coupled with suitable half-reactions involving oxidants or reductants from the environment. In a particular environmental system, these redox agents (along with the physico-chemical factors discussed in section 4.2) collectively determine the nature, rate, and extent of contaminant transformation. Under favorable circumstances, the dominant redox agent(s) can be identified and quantified, thereby providing a rigorous basis for estimating the potential for, and rate of, transformation by abiotic redox reactions. 

Investigations of redox processes in natural water systems have emphasized the disequilibrium behavior of many couples (e.g., 37). The degree of coupling of redox reactions with widely varying rates, and its effect on radionuclide transport in an NWRB needs to be considered. Because of the generally slow kinetics of autoxidation reactions, the potential surface catalyzed reduction of a radionuclide at low temperatures in the presence of trace levels of DO may explain certain sorption data (e.g., 38). 

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