Effect of Anodic Pretreatment on the Performance of Glassy Carbon Electrode in Acetonitrile and Electrooxidation of Para-substituted Phenols in Acetonitrile on Platinum and Glassy Carbon Electrode

Abstract

In the first part of the work electropolymerisation of phenol was studied at glassy carbon electrode. Rapid fouling of its surface indicated the formation of coherent poly(phenyleneoxide) layer which was demonstrated by the repeated cyclic voltammetric scans. Effect of anodic pretreatment potential in acetonitrile solvent was also investigated and the results showed that at potentials higher than 2 V glassy carbon electrode becomes deactivated. Preanodisation of glassy carbon electrode at 3 V in acetonitrile resulted in diminished anodic peak currents by phenols. It was due to the partial deactivation of electrode surface and its extent increased with the pretreatment time. The electrooxidation of para-substituted phenols (p-Cl-phenol, p-NO₂-phenol, p-tertbutylphenol, p-methoxyphenol) in acetonitrile resulted in no fouling layer on platinum electrode and the peak currents were significantly higher than in the first scan of unsubstituted phenol in the same concentration. Glassy carbon deactivated continuously by repeating the scans due to the solvent and bonding of products on the surface.