Open Access“How Should I Think about Voltage? What Is Overpotential?”: Establishing an Organic Chemistry Intuition for Electrochemistry
Author(s) -
Jordan E. Nutting,
James B. Gerken,
Alexios G. Stamoulis,
David L. Bruns,
Shan S. Stahl
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of organic chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.2
H-Index - 228
eISSN - 1520-6904
pISSN - 0022-3263
DOI - 10.1021/acs.joc.1c01520
Subject(s) - overpotential , electrosynthesis , electrochemistry , redox , nanotechnology , intuition , chemistry , biochemical engineering , materials science , inorganic chemistry , engineering , epistemology , electrode , philosophy
Redox reactions are ubiquitous in organic synthesis and intrinsic to organic electrosynthesis. The language and concepts used to describe reactions in these domains are sufficiently different to create barriers that hinder broader adoption and understanding of electrochemical methods. To bridge these gaps, this Synopsis compares chemical and electrochemical redox reactions, including concepts of free energy, voltage, kinetic barriers, and overpotential. This discussion is intended to increase the accessibility of electrochemistry for organic chemists lacking formal training in this area.