Stationary Electrode Voltammetry and Chronoamperometry in an Alkali Metal Carbonate-Borate Melt
AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF DARRELL GEORGE PETCOFF for the Doctor of Philosophy (Name of student) (Degree) in Analytical Chemistry presented onC (O,/97 (Major) (Date) Title: STATIONARY ELECTRODE VOLTAMMETRY AND CHRONOAMPEROMETRY IN AN ALKALI METAL CARBONATE - BORATE. MFT T Abstract approved: Redacted for Privacy- Drir. reund The electrochemistry of the lithium-potassium-sodium carbonate-borate melt was explored by voltammetry and chrono- amperometry. In support of this, a controlled-potential polarograph and associated hardware was constructed.Several different types of reference electrodes were tried before choosing a porcelain mem- brane electrode containing a silver wire immersed in a silver sulfate melt.The special porcelain compounded was used also to construct a planar gold disk electrode.The theory of stationary electrode polarography was summarized and denormalized to provide an over- all view. A new approach to the theory of the cyclic background current was also advanced. A computer program was written to facilitate data processing.In addition to providing peak potentials, currents, and n-values, the program also resolves overlapping peaks and furnishes plots of both processed and unprocessed data. Rapid-scan voltammetry was employed to explore the electro- chemical behavior of Zn, Co, Fe, Tl, Sb, As, Ni, Sn, Cd, Te, Bi, Cr, Pb, Cu, and U in the carbonate-borate melt. Most substances gave reasonably well-defined peaks with characteristic peak potentials and n-values.Metal deposition was commonly accompanied by adsorp- tion prepeaks indicative of strong adsorption, and there was also evi- dence of a preceding chemical reaction for several elements, sug- gesting decomplexation before reduction.
[Show full text]