Volmer mechanism determination

HOR studies on smooth noble metal surfaces in acidic media show that platinum is the most active. The reaction mechanism on bulk polycrystalline platimun electrode is usually assumed to proceed through a Tafel-Volmer mechanism via reactions (4) and (5), the dissociative adsorption of hydrogen being the rate-determining step (r.d.s.) [51]. In alkaline electrolytes, HOR on polycrystalline Pt follows a Tafel-Volmer sequence and the r.d.s. is the dissociative hydrogen adsorption given by reactions (4) and (6) [52]. 

Let us consider III as a rate-determining step (so-called Volmer mechanism). We have... 

The other studies of nonbulk metal HOR in alkaline come from Cabot et al. [25,44] who used a Pt-containing gas diffusion electrode (GDE) to closely represent the electrodes of a fuel cell in their RDE experiments. They concluded that at low overpotentials (near the OCV). the Tafel reaction is the rate-determining step in a Tafel-Volmer mechanism, with the diffusion of H2 becoming rate determining at higher overpotentials. These studies also showed that the exchange current density for HOR is lower in alkaline media for GDE. 

In order to clear up the mechanism of inactivation of excited states, we examined the processes of quenching of fluorescence and phosphorescence in PCSs by the additives of the donor and acceptor type253,2S5,2S6 Within the concentration range of 1 x 1CT4 — 1 x 10"3 mol/1, a linear relationship between the efficiency of fluorescence quenching [(/0//) — 1] and the quencher concentration was found. For the determination of quenching constants, the Stem-Volmer equation was used, viz. 

It was demonstrated by R. Parsons and H. Gerischer that the adsorption energy of the hydrogen atom determines not only the rate of the Volmer reaction (5.7.1) but also the relative rates of all three reactions (5.7.1) to (5.7.3). The relative rates of these three reactions decide over the mechanism of the overall process of evolution or ionization of hydrogen and decide between possible rate-determining steps at electrodes from different materials. 

Both schemes have been observed in various systems. We consider hydrogen evolution on platinum from an aqueous solution in greater detail. In this system the Volmer-Tafel mechanism operates, the Volmer reaction is fast, the Tafel reaction is slow and determines the rate. Let us denote the rate constant for the Volmer reaction as ki(rj), that of the back reaction as k i(rj). Since the Volmer reaction is fast and in quasiequilibrium, we have ... 

The electrochemical reaction occurs at the surface of graphite anode [37 39]. At potentials lower than 1.25 V, chlorine is formed by a Volmer/Heyrovsky mechanism with the latter being the rate determining step. Chloride ions are initially discharged on surface sites that are not covered by chlorine atoms (Volmer reaction (14.4a)), followed by the discharge of chloride ions on adsorbed chlorine ions (Heyrovsky reaction (14.4b)) [39] ... 

The yield determined in a certain type of experiment usually strongly depends on the assumptions made about the formation mechanism. In the older literature, the excited molecules were often assumed to be produced solely in neutral excitations [127,139-143] and energy-transfer experiments with Stern-Volmer-type extrapolation (linear concentration dependence) were used to derive G(5 i). For instance, by sensitization of benzene fiuorescence, Baxendale and Mayer established G(5 i) = 0.3 for cyclohexane [141]. Later Busi [140] corrected this value to G(5 i) = 0.51 on the basis that in the transfer, in addition to the fiuorescing benzene state S, the S2 and S3 states also form and the 82- 81 and 83 81 conversion efficiencies are smaller than 1. Johnson and Lipsky [144] reported an efficiency factor of 0.26 0.02 per encounter for sensitization of benzene fluorescence via energy transfer from cyclohexane. Using this efficiency factor the corrected yield is G(5 i) = 1.15. Based on energy-transfer measurements Beck and Thomas estimated G(5 i) = 1 for cyclohexane [145]. Relatively small G(5 i) values were determined in energy-transfer experiments for some other alkanes as well -hexane 1.4, -heptane 1.1 [140], cyclopentane 0.07 [142] and 0.12 [140], cyclooctane 0.07 [142] and 1.46 [140], methylcyclohexane 0.95, cifi-decalin 0.26 [140], and cis/trans-decalin mixture 0.15 [142]. 

As far as the chl.e.r. mechanism is concerned, the same, previously described, investigation has been performed and Figures 24 and 25 respectively report the polarization curve and the Tafel plot (currents normalized to the number of active sites at the electrode surface), for the case of a 1 M NaCl/3 M NaC104/0.01 M HCIO4 test solution. The measured Tafel slope has a value of 0.149 V, and the reaction order with respect to CP is about 0.7 the values of b and R both agree well with a Volmer-Heyrovsky mechanism [24], with a rate-determining electrochemical desorption, provided a value of about 0.7 is assumed for the coverage by the intermediate chlorine radicals [28] ... 

The effect of humic materials on the photolytic micellar system was evaluated in DR s photodegradation. DR solubilized within Tween 80 micellar solution with or without humic materials was determined. In order to calculate the quantum yield, the molar absorptivity of DR was determined by spectrophotometry. The determination of the quantum yield and reaction rates was examined through a pseudo first-order decay rate expression. Quenching and catalytic effects resulting from the humic substances were examined through Stem-Volmer analysis. A reaction mechanism of photolytic decay of DR solubilized within surfactant micelles in the presence of various amount of humic materials was proposed for this purpose. The effect of high and low concentration of humic materials has been accounted for by a designed model. 

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