The beta-hydroxyethyl radical as a model system for two-pathway electroreduction in the presence of proton donors

摘要

The mechanism of electrode reactions of the beta-hydroxyethyl radical has been found experimentally to depend on pH, and a general kinetic scheme of organic radical electroreduction is suggested which includes two parallel pathways of electron transfer, either to adsorbed radical R-ads or to its metastable protonated complex [R-ads. BH+]; the competition between these pathways is determined by the capacity of R-ads for complex formation, the concentration of the proton donor, and electron transfer rates to R-ads and [R-ads. BH+]. [References: 14]