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Electrochemical Behavior of Alkali Metal Alcoholates (Alcoxides) on Mercury
Author(s) -
Heyrovský Michael
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
electroanalysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.574
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1521-4109
pISSN - 1040-0397
DOI - 10.1002/elan.200503365
Subject(s) - inorganic chemistry , catalysis , alkali metal , aqueous solution , chemistry , mercury (programming language) , electrolyte , electrochemistry , hydrogen , adsorption , hydrolysis , electrode , organic chemistry , computer science , programming language
Alkali metal alcoholates (alcoxides), which occur as admixtures to fresh samples of alkali borohydrides, cause catalytic evolution of hydrogen of the “presodium type” from aqueous solutions at mercury electrodes. The catalytically active form is presumably a short‐lived, particularly hydrated form of the alcoholate anion, adsorbed in a favorable orientation in the interface between negatively charged mercury and aqueous electrolyte solution. The atom, transferring hydrogen ions from the solution to the electrode, is here negatively charged oxygen, a rare case in electrolytic hydrogen evolution catalysis. The catalytic activity of alcoxides gradually dies out, as they are slowly hydrolyzed by air moisture.