Proton-coupled electron transfer from an interfacial phenol monolayer

• A tert-butyl protected phenol is covalently link to a mixed self-assembled monolayer on a gold or platinum electrode. The phenol reduction potential shows the expected pH-dependence of a one-electron, one-proton couple with a decrease in formal reduction potential of 59 ± 5 mV per pH. A titration of the phenol is observed with a pKa of 13.2 and the reduction potential for the phenolate is 0.11 V . NHE. The kinetic behavior of the proton-coupled oxidation deviates substantially from the commonly used models for a step-wise reaction that assume the proton transfer reactions are in equilibrium throughout the reaction. A novel model for step-wise proton-coupled reactions is presented that fully accounts for the pH dependent kinetics and allows the formal rate constants and the transfer coefficients to be determined.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Kemi -- Fysikalisk kemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Chemical Sciences -- Physical Chemistry (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Phenol-terminated alkane-thiol monolayer

Proton-coupled electron transfer

pH dependence

Kinetic models

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)