ORGANIC ADSORPTION AT ELECTRODES.

Abstract

A review of the methods used to investigate the adsorption of organic compounds on solid metal electrodes shows that all of the available methods have very definite limitations. In the absence of a really good method, it is wise to employ all the available techniques which give complementary information. The available experimental information obtained from electrosorption measurements is compared with the data obtained from gas-phase studies. As an example of the difficulty encountered in making a comparison of gas-phase and electrosorption measurements, it is found in the study of adsorption energetics that the heats of adsorption are much lower in electrosorption. When water vapor is present, electrosorption is most likely similar to competitive gas-phase adsorption. A discussion of the energetics of adsorption clearly shows the competitive nature of adsorption at electrodes in solution. The adsorption characteristics of carbon monoxide, formic acid, methanol, ethanol, and hydrocarbons, especially ethylene, are discussed in some detail. A review of adsorption phenomena observed at open circuit shows that when a steady potential is established at platinized Pt electrodes in solutions of alcohols and aldehydes containing more than one carbon atom, processes of dehydrogenation and self-hydrogenation of the original substances and their decomposition products occur. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 06, 1967
Accession Number
AD0649840

Entities

People

  • B. J. Piersma

Organizations

  • United States Naval Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Adsorption
  • Alcohols
  • Alkenes
  • Carbon Monoxide
  • Dielectric Gases
  • Electrodes
  • Formic Acid
  • Gases
  • Hydrocarbons
  • Methanols
  • Organic Compounds
  • Phase
  • Phase Studies
  • Water Vapor

Readers

  • Organic Chemistry
  • Theoretical Analysis.
  • Thin Film Deposition Science.