Increase of oxygen overpotential at a platinum anode by reducing agents

ABSTRACT DURING a study of electrolytic oxidation processes, the surprising observation has been made that the presence of low concentrations of certain reducing agents, which normally

function as depolarizers, will bring about very substantial _increases_ in the potential at which oxygen is evolved at a platinum anode. The effect was first noted with dilute solutions of

sodium thiosulphate in phosphate buffer electrolysed at high current densities, but it has since been found to occur to varying extents with a large number of oxidizable substances

containing sulphur and/or nitrogen. The phenomenon has been studied by polarizing a clean platinum wire anode in an inert electrolyte until the potential became substantially steady; a

quantity of the oxidizable substance was then added and the anode potential observed over a further period of electrolysis. In general, where the added substance was active in giving the

effect, an almost immediate rise of potential occurred which reached a maximum value within a few minutes. Below are shown the elevations of anode potential observed after two minutes with a

variety of addition agents, each at a concentration of 0·01 _M_, in the electrolysis of a phosphate buffer (0·2 _M_, KH2PO4 + 0·2 _M_ Na2HPO4, _p_H 6·8) at 20° C. with an anodic current

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ALKALINE HYDROGEN EVOLUTION REACTION Article 19 October 2022 REFERENCES * Müller, _Z. Elektrochem._, 10, 776 (1904). Müller and Scheller, _Z. anorg. Chem._, 48, 112 (1906). Article  Google

Scholar  * Hickling and Hill (unpublished work). Download references AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, University of Liverpool, A.

HICKLING & W. H. WILSON Authors * A. HICKLING View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * W. H. WILSON View author publications You can also

search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE HICKLING, A., WILSON, W. Increase of Oxygen Overpotential

at a Platinum Anode by Reducing Agents. _Nature_ 164, 673 (1949). https://doi.org/10.1038/164673a0 Download citation * Issue Date: 15 October 1949 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/164673a0

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