Polarography of organic cations in acid solution. Part II. Various aralkyl ions in sulphuric and methanesulphonic acids

Abstract

The polarographic reduction of the following organic cations in aqueous sulphuric and in pure and aqueous methanesulphonic acids has been studied: triphenylmethyl, tri-p-tolymethyl, diphenylmethyl, 1,1-diphenylethyl, 1,1-diphenyl-n-butyl, 3-methyl-1-phenylindanyl.

For most of the observed reduction waves the number of electrons and the reversibility (or lack thereof) could be established. The reaction scheme which accounted for our observations on the triphenyl carbonium ion in sulphuric acid was found adequate to explain the present results, except that for the tri-p-tolyl carbonium ion in aqueous acids an additional reaction, reduction of the hydrated ion, is also involved.