Anodic oxidation of ethylene on noble metals and alloys. Parametric and isotopic examination of mechanisms

Abstract

The anodic oxidation of ethylene has been studied on smooth noble metals and certain binary alloys, in aqueous solutions at 80°C, in the steady state. Reaction orders are derived from a parametric analysis and several types of mechanism are suggested and shown to occur. Studies in isotopic substitution serve to confirm these mechanisms. An experimentally derived “volcano” relationship between the heat of sublimation of the electrocatalytic substrate, and the rate of ethylene oxidation on it, is interpreted in terms of variable rates and variable rate-determining steps.