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Chemistry Forums for Students => Organic Chemistry Forum => Organic Chemistry Forum for Graduate Students and Professionals => Topic started by: spidermclovin on March 30, 2020, 05:50:40 AM

Title: Synthetic electrochemistry
Post by: spidermclovin on March 30, 2020, 05:50:40 AM

I've been trying to get a desulfurization reaction to work under a reductive potential (E= -1.0 V) with NaCl as the electrolyte.
After 24 hours, there are large pH changes from pH 7.2 to pH 10/11. I have tried using PBS buffer but this doesnt seem to help.
Any ideas?   

Title: Re: Synthetic electrochemistry
Post by: chenbeier on March 30, 2020, 06:46:25 AM

During electrolysis of NaCl solution you create on cathode side hydrogen and NaOH. Buffers are useless in this case. On anode side depending on the electrode material chlorine and/ or corrosion of electrode.

Title: Re: Synthetic electrochemistry
Post by: spidermclovin on March 30, 2020, 06:58:02 AM

How do you avoid this, use a less reductive potential?
Or a different electrolyte? 
I'm using carbon electrodes. 

Title: Re: Synthetic electrochemistry
Post by: chenbeier on March 30, 2020, 10:18:26 AM

Only acid or a metal salt, would work. Acid only develop hydrogen, metal salt like coppersulfate would give metal precipitation on the cathode.

Title: Re: Synthetic electrochemistry
Post by: kriggy on March 31, 2020, 07:25:39 AM

Can you try different electrolyte?  I recall Baran group among others having some papers about synthetic electrochemistry so you might want to look in there to see what electrolytes they are using.