MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES Electrochemistry of Solids

摘要

New electrochemical techniques for the study of solids were applied to iron and nickel in solid solution in potassium iodide. The electroreductions of these ions were found to require no overpotential, in contrast to the large overpotential, required for the corresponding reductions in aqueous solution. These results show that metal ions in solid environments are some¬times more reactive than the same ions in common liquid solvents. It was found that finely divided organic compounds in a matrix of solid salt hydrate can be reduced electrochemically. The types of compounds reduced were quinones, azo compounds, disulfides, aliphatic halogen compounds, and compounds containing conjugated double bonds. The reductions of some compounds, such as anthracene, required smaller overpotentials than did the corresponding reductions in any liquid solvent previously investigated.