Electrocatalysis on gold

Abstract

This perspective article reviews recent advances in the study of important catalytic reactions on gold electrodes. The paper discusses both oxidation and reduction reactions: the oxidation of carbon monoxide and alcohols as well as the oxygen reduction reaction on gold electrodes and also a brief discussion of other interesting reactions on gold electrodes such as the amine borane oxidation and the CO₂ reduction. A common theme in electrocatalysis on gold is the sensitive dependence of various reaction rates on pH and gold surface structure. The electrocatalysis of redox reactions on gold is highly pH dependent, often preferring alkaline media, due to the prominent role of negatively charged reaction intermediates related to the fact that gold does not bind the neutral intermediates strongly enough. Gold also tends to be a selective catalyst, again due to its weak adsorption properties, as on gold the reaction often stops when a difficult bond breaking or making event will be the necessary next step.