The electrochemistry of tellurium in methylene chloride

✍ Scribed by Y. Liftman; M. Albeck; J.M.E. Goldschmidt; Ch. Yarnitsky

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1984
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 627 KB
• Volume: 29
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0013-4686
• DOI: 10.1016/0013-4686(84)89009-x

✦ Synopsis

It was found that TeCI, in methylene chloride (containing tetrabutylammonium perchlorate as a supporting electrolyte) is reduced to TeCl,, Te' and Te -* in successive steps which are determined by the potential applied. Two reduction waves are observed during the reduction of T&l.+ at a platinum rde (Ep, = 0.08 + 0.02 V, Ep, = -I.10 kO.02 V) due to the reduction of TeC14 to Te and Te-' respectively. A cathodic deposition of tellurium from TeClo is followed by anodic stripping wave (Ep, = 0.42 k 0.02 V), corresponding to the oxidation of Te to TeQ. It has been shown that reduction of TeCL, or TeCl:* to Te causes coating of the electrode with metallic tellurium, on whose surface chloride ions are strongly bonded. It was found that when the eIectrolysis solution contains excess of chloride ion with reswt to Te'" the peak potentials of the cathodic waves shift to more cathodic values (Epl = -0.30 +O.OZ.V, Ep, = -1.25 + 0.02 V). After cathodic deposition of at least a monolayer of tellurium from such a solution two anodic waves appear (Ep, = 0.12 + 0.03 V, Ep, = 0.24 + 0.03 V) which are both due to the oxidation of Te to Ten.