One-electron redox reaction of di-tert-butyl nitroxide at platinum electrode in acetonitrile

The electrochemical oxidation of di-tert-butyl nitroxide (DTBN) at a platinum electrode in acetonitrile was examined. The cyclic voltammogram indicated an irreversible response during a normal time scale measurement, whereas chemically reversible voltammograms were obtained during a shorter time using a micro disk electrode with relatively fast sweep rates. The apparent formal redox potential and heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant were estimated to be 0.218 V (versus Fc+|Fc) and 0.035 ± 0.015 cm s−1 from the digital simulation analysis.