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Can the redox conditions in natural waters be predicted by a single parameter?

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Abstract

The thermodynamic pε (redox potential) is the theoretical master variable of the ultimate redox conditions in aqueous solutions. Real multicomponent redox processes, however, cannot be predicted by pε considerations alone. In such cases a detectable notion, the operational parameter pe, has to be introduced which is defined by the response of an adequate sensor to redoxchemical changes in natural extracellular systems. The solution/sensor interaction is described by the general theory of stationary states and, in case of Pt metal as sensor, by the electronic equilibrium of Pt in aqueous solutions. Examples of pe/D.O. feedback control experiments with sediment-water systems from L. Kinneret indicate that pe is dependent on the electron donator and the electron acceptor, thus being predictive to the real electron transfer reactions.

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  1. University of Bayreuth, P.O. Box 3008, 8580, Bayreuth, W. Germany

    Tönnies Frevert (Chair of Hydrology)

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  1. Tönnies Frevert
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Frevert, T. Can the redox conditions in natural waters be predicted by a single parameter?. Schweiz. Z. Hydrologie 46, 269–290 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02538066

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02538066

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