The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Steady-state voltammetry of hydroxide ion oxidation in aqueous solutions containing ammonia

Steady-state voltammetry of hydroxide ion oxidation in aqueous solutions containing ammonia
Steady-state voltammetry of hydroxide ion oxidation in aqueous solutions containing ammonia
An oxidation process observed in dilute aqueous solutions of ammonia was investigated under steady-state conditions with gold microelectrodes with radii in the range 2.5-30 mum. Over the ammonia concentration range 0.1-10 mM, a well-defined voltammetric wave was observed at ~1.4 V versus Ag/AgCl. It was attributed to the oxidation of hydroxide ions that arise from the dissociation of the weak base. The steady-state limiting current was found to depend on the concentration of supporting electrolyte, and in solution with low electrolyte, it was enhanced by migration contribution, as expected for a negatively charged species that oxidizes on a positively charged electrode. In addition, the steady-state limiting current was proportional to both the ammonia concentration and the electrode radius. The overall electrode process was analyzed in terms of a CE mechanism (homogeneous chemical reaction preceding the heterogeneous electron transfer) with a fast chemical reaction when measurements were carried out in solutions containing NH3 at less than or equal to5 mM and with electrodes having a radius of greater than or equal to5 mum. This was ascertained by comparing experimental and theoretical data obtained by simulation. The formation of the soluble complex species Au(NH3)(2)+ was also considered as a possible alternative to explain the presence of the oxidation wave. This process however was ruled out, as the experimental data did not fit theoretical predictions in any of the conditions employed in the investigation. Instead, the direct oxidation of NH3, probably to N2O, was invoked ID explain the anomalous currents found when the CE process was strongly kinetically hindered. Throughout this study, a parallel was made between the CE mechanism investigated here and that known to occur during the hydrogen evolution reaction from weak acids.
supporting electrolyte, weak acids, hydrogen evolution, electrochemical oxidation, platinum microelectrodes, mercury microelectrodes, anodiccharacterization, polyprotic acids, reduction, gold
0003-2700
3290-3296
Daniele, Salvatore
cd677266-5cc2-48c2-8145-e95861a0b4d2
Baldo, M. Antonietta
dc81685a-3ceb-4ca5-b767-db7587ec8b5b
Bragato, Carlo
78869737-4e49-4eee-8725-28001ff0e202
Abdelsalam, Mamdouh Elsayed
d1cbddcb-9f5c-46d5-b774-1bbaee26e115
Denuault, Guy
5c76e69f-e04e-4be5-83c5-e729887ffd4e
Daniele, Salvatore
cd677266-5cc2-48c2-8145-e95861a0b4d2
Baldo, M. Antonietta
dc81685a-3ceb-4ca5-b767-db7587ec8b5b
Bragato, Carlo
78869737-4e49-4eee-8725-28001ff0e202
Abdelsalam, Mamdouh Elsayed
d1cbddcb-9f5c-46d5-b774-1bbaee26e115
Denuault, Guy
5c76e69f-e04e-4be5-83c5-e729887ffd4e

Daniele, Salvatore, Baldo, M. Antonietta, Bragato, Carlo, Abdelsalam, Mamdouh Elsayed and Denuault, Guy (2002) Steady-state voltammetry of hydroxide ion oxidation in aqueous solutions containing ammonia. Analytical Chemistry, 74 (14), 3290-3296. (doi:10.1021/ac025530n).

Record type: Article

Abstract

An oxidation process observed in dilute aqueous solutions of ammonia was investigated under steady-state conditions with gold microelectrodes with radii in the range 2.5-30 mum. Over the ammonia concentration range 0.1-10 mM, a well-defined voltammetric wave was observed at ~1.4 V versus Ag/AgCl. It was attributed to the oxidation of hydroxide ions that arise from the dissociation of the weak base. The steady-state limiting current was found to depend on the concentration of supporting electrolyte, and in solution with low electrolyte, it was enhanced by migration contribution, as expected for a negatively charged species that oxidizes on a positively charged electrode. In addition, the steady-state limiting current was proportional to both the ammonia concentration and the electrode radius. The overall electrode process was analyzed in terms of a CE mechanism (homogeneous chemical reaction preceding the heterogeneous electron transfer) with a fast chemical reaction when measurements were carried out in solutions containing NH3 at less than or equal to5 mM and with electrodes having a radius of greater than or equal to5 mum. This was ascertained by comparing experimental and theoretical data obtained by simulation. The formation of the soluble complex species Au(NH3)(2)+ was also considered as a possible alternative to explain the presence of the oxidation wave. This process however was ruled out, as the experimental data did not fit theoretical predictions in any of the conditions employed in the investigation. Instead, the direct oxidation of NH3, probably to N2O, was invoked ID explain the anomalous currents found when the CE process was strongly kinetically hindered. Throughout this study, a parallel was made between the CE mechanism investigated here and that known to occur during the hydrogen evolution reaction from weak acids.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Published date: 15 July 2002
Keywords: supporting electrolyte, weak acids, hydrogen evolution, electrochemical oxidation, platinum microelectrodes, mercury microelectrodes, anodiccharacterization, polyprotic acids, reduction, gold

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 19713
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/19713
ISSN: 0003-2700
PURE UUID: e3cdcb88-9663-4570-ab90-259cc7b1306e
ORCID for Guy Denuault: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-8630-9492

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 16 Feb 2006
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 02:43

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: Salvatore Daniele
Author: M. Antonietta Baldo
Author: Carlo Bragato
Author: Mamdouh Elsayed Abdelsalam
Author: Guy Denuault ORCID iD

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×