An Effective Way to Determine the Diffusion Coefficient Using Double Potential Step Chronocoulometry An Undergraduate Physical Chemistry Laboratory Experiment


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Koca A., Üce M., Özkaya A. R., Şahin M.

The Chemical Educator, cilt.12, sa.3, ss.185-189, 2007 (Hakemli Dergi)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 12 Sayı: 3
  • Basım Tarihi: 2007
  • Dergi Adı: The Chemical Educator
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Chemical Abstracts Core
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.185-189
  • Marmara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet


 Diffusion is a phenomenon critical to all chemical processes, and it places a formal upper limit on the rates of chemical reactions; yet, there are no simple methods for measuring diffusion coefficients in solution and for demonstrating to the student the dramatic dependence on the charge of the molecules. We propose an easy method for determining the diffusion coefficients of the electrode reaction products of a ferrocene/ferrocenium redox couple by double-potential-step chronocoulometry and demonstrate the difference in diffusion coefficients of the charged and uncharged forms of molecules. The method was applied successfully by an experiment in which the diffusion coefficients of differently charged particles associated with the ferrocene/ferrocenium redox couple were determined by double-potential-step chronocoulometry. This experiment is suitable for use in undergraduate physical chemistry laboratories to introduce students to electrochemical instrumentation, especially cyclic voltammetry and double-potential-step chronocoulometry. It is an effective way to establish various electrochemical concepts such as redox systems, electron transfer reactions, reduction potential, peak potential, peak currents, and diffusion coefficients, and to demonstrate the use of these techniques for determination of the diffusion coefficients of the products of an electrode reaction.