Skip to main content
Log in

Charge transfer across the water/nitrobenzene interface by three-electrode system

  • Published:
Science in China Series B: Chemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A droplet of aqueous solution containing a certain molar ratio of redox couple is first attached onto a platinum electrode surface, then the resulting drop electrode is immersed into the organic solution containing very hydrophobic electrolyte. Combined with reference and counter electrodes, a classical three-electrode system has been constructed. Ion transfer (IT) and electron transfer (ET) are investigated systematically using three-electrode voltammetry. Potassium ion transfer and electron transfer between potassium ferricyanide in the aqueous phase and ferrocene in nitrobenzene are observed with potassium ferricyanide/potassium ferrocyanide as the redox couple. Meanwhile, the transfer reactions of lithium, sodium, potassium, proton and ammonium ions are obtained with ferric sulfate/ferrous sulfate as the redox couple. The formal transfer potentials and the standard Gibbs transfer energy of these ions are evaluated and consistent with the results obtained by a four-electrode system and other methods.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Girault, H. H., Charge transfer across liquid-liquid interfaces, in Modern Aspects of Electrochemistry (eds. Bockris, J. O’M., Conway, B. E., White, R. E.), New York: Plenum Press, 1993, 1.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Volkov, A. G., Deamer, D. W., Liquid-Liquid Interfaces, Theory and Methods, California: CRC Press, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Girault, H. H., Schiffrin, D. J., Electrochemistry of liquid-liquid interfaces, in Electroanalytical Chemistry, Vol. 15 (ed. Bard, A. J.), New York: Marcel Dekker, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Samec, Z., Kakiuchi, T., Charge transfer kinetics at water-organic solvent phase boundaries, in Advances in Electrochemistry and Electrochemical Engineering (eds. Genscher, H., Tobias, C. W.), Weinheim: VCH, 1995, 300–356.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Samec, Z., Marecek, V., Weber, J., Charge transfer between two immiscible electrolyte solutions, Part II. The investigation of cesium(l+) ion transfer across the nitrobenzene/water interface by cyclic voltammetry with IR drop compensation, J. Electroanal. Chem., 1979, 100: 841–852.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Taylor, G., Girault, H. H., Ion transfer reactions across a liquid-liquid interface supported on a micropipette tip, J. Electroanal. Chem., 1986, 208(1): 179–183.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Shao, Y., Mirkin, M. V., Fast kinetic measurements with nanometer-sized pipets, Transfer of potassium ion from water into dichloroethane facilitated by dibenzo-18-crown-6, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1997, 119(34): 8103–8104.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Campbell, J. A., Girault, H. H., Steady-state current for ion transfer reactions at a micro liquid/liquid interface, J. Electro anal. Chem., 1989, 266(2): 465–169.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Shi, C., Anson, F. C., Simple electrochemical procedure for measuring the rates of electron transfer across liquid/liquid interfaces formed by coating graphite electrodes with thin layers of nitrobenzene, J. Phys. Chem. B, 1998, 102(49): 9850–9854.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Shi, C., Anson, F. C., Electron transfer between reactants located on opposite sides of liquid/liquid interfaces, J. Phys. Chem.B, 1999, 103(30): 6283–6289.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Clarke, D. J., Schiffrin, D. J., Wiles, M., A tetraphenylborate internal reference electrode for immiscible electrolyte solutions and ion selective electrodes, Electrochim. Acta, 1989, 34(6): 767–769.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Ulmeanu, S., Lee, H., Fermin, D. J. et al., Voltammetry at a liquid-liquid interface supported on a metallic electrode, Electrochem. Commun., 2001, 3(5): 219–223.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Osborne, D., Girault, H. H., Amperometric detection of the ammonium ion by facilitated ion transfer across the interface between 2 immiscible electrolyte-solutions, Electroanalysis, 1995, 7(5): 425–434.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Danil, A. F., Hill, T., Free energies of transfer of 1:1 electrolytes from water to nitrobenzene, J. Chem. Soc. Faraday Trans. I, 1983, 79: 2713–2722.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Markin, V., Volkov, A. G., The Gibbs free energy of ion transfer between two immiscible liquids, Electrochim. Acta, 1989, 34(2): 93–107.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yuanhua Shao.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Yuan, Y., Gao, Z., Zhang, M. et al. Charge transfer across the water/nitrobenzene interface by three-electrode system. Sc. China Ser. B-Chem. 45, 494–502 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1360/02yb9065

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1360/02yb9065

Keywords

Navigation