Electrochemical measurements and theoretical studies for understanding the behavior of catechol, resorcinol and hydroquinone on the boron doped diamond surface

Author(s)

Lopes da Silva, Amison Rick ^[1] ; dos Santosa, Alexsandro Jhones ^[1] ; Martinez-Huitle, Carlos Alberto ^{[1, 2]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Rio Grande do Norte, Inst Chem, LEAA, BR-59078970 Natal, RN - Brazil

^[2] Unesp, Natl Inst Alternat Technol Detect Toxicol Evaluat, Inst Chem, POB 355, BR-14800900 Araraquara, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: RSC ADVANCES; v. 8, n. 7, p. 3483-3492, 2018.
• Web of Science Citations: 8

Abstract

Using electrochemical techniques (cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV)) with a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode it was possible to study the behavior of hydroquinone (HQ), catechol (CT) and resorcinol (RS), in aqueous solutions as well as to associate the electrochemical profiles with computational simulations. It led to understanding the factors that influence the direct electrooxidation of HQ, CT and RS on the BDD surface. Theoretical calculations demonstrated that the compounds with lower HOMO energy and high ionization potential (IP) are more stable, showing a higher E-pa, denoting that HOMO energies and IP are related to the difficulty of oxidizing (losing an electron) a specific compound. Analyzing the electro-oxidation reactions of HQ, CT and RS by using computational calculations, it was possible to verify the reversibility behavior, direct oxidation pathway and the possible intermediates formed during electron-transfer. The results clearly demonstrated that the reversibility was attained for HQ and CT, while this behavior is not feasible, thermodynamically speaking, for RS and this was confirmed by DFT calculations. For direct oxidation mechanisms, HQ and CT are quickly oxidized, but RS produces stable intermediates. These experimental and theoretical results also explain the behavior when the compounds were analyzed by electroanalytical techniques, suggesting that the interactions by direct electron-transfer determine the stability of response (sensitivity) as well as the limit of detection. The results are described and discussed in light of the existing literature. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/50945-4 - INCT 2014: National Institute for Alternative Technologies of Detection, Toxicological Evaluation and Removal of Micropollutants and Radioactivies
• Grantee: Maria Valnice Boldrin
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants