Electrogenerated R4N(Hg)5 films

Abstract

The reduction of the dimethylpyrrolidinium cation (DMP⁺) has been studied at mercury film cathodes. Using cyclic voltammetry of concentrated (DMP)BF₄ solutions (0.5 mol dm^–3) at thin mercury films (Q_Hg < 150 mC cm^–2) it was shown that the composition of the insoluble organo-metallic product is DMP(Hg)₅. DMP(Hg)₅ forms as an insoluble conducting phase which can be stripped quantitatively. Cathodic potential step accumulations from dilute solutions of (DMP)BF₄( < 10^–2 mol dm^–3), followed by anodic linear sweep stripping, showed that the DMP(Hg)₅ phase grows with increasing charge transfer until all the mercury of the cathode is used up.