Electrochemistry of diphenylditelluride at the hanging mercury drop electrode in a protic medium

The electrochemical behavior of diphenylditelluride, Φ2Te2, at a hanging mercury drop electrode has been studied in an aqueous-ethanol solution at pH 7 by means of cyclic and ac voltammetry. The appearance of two cathodic peaks has been attributed to the reversible reduction of the first and all the successive monolayers of a film of ΦTe-Hg, which is formed by adsorption of Φ2Te2 at the mercury/solution interface. The different electrochemical properties of such monolayers have been explained.