Electrochemical mass spectrometry. Part 1.—Preliminary studies of propane oxidation on platinum

Abstract

The technique of electrochemical mass spectrometry is described and applied to the oxidation of propane at platinum. The potential dependence for the production of propane, ethane and methane from propane adsorbate is given. Using propane-2-¹³C, it has been shown that all propane formed on reductive desorption originates from the carbon skeleton of the original propane and that methane arises with equal probability from all the carbon atoms in the original propane. The adsorbate formed at 0.25 V consists of a mixture of surface species whose stoichiometries could include C₃H₈, C₃H₇, C₂H₆, and C₂H₅. All adsorbate can be oxidized quantitatively to carbon dioxide.