Study of acetylsalicylic acid electroreduction behavior at platinum electrode

• Electrochemical behavior of ASA study using Pt electrode.
• Electroreduction of ASA was investigated with cyclic voltammetry.
• The ASA is irreversibly reduced at the platinum electrode in various pHs.
• The electroreduction mechanism of ASA was proposed.
• The reaction proceeds according to an EC mechanism.

Electroreduction behavior of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) was investigated at platinum electrode using the cyclic voltammetry method. An effect of scan rate, ASA concentration and pH on electrode reaction was determined. The process is diffusion-controlled. Parameters of ASA electroreduction, i.e., rate constant, charge transfer coefficient and diffusion coefficient, were calculated. The ASA electroreduction is quasi-reversible and proceeds in two steps. This process is preceded by substrate hydrolysis resulting in the formation of salicylic (SA) and acetic (AA) acid. Hydrolysis products are electrochemically reduced. In the first and second step, electroreduction of SA and AA proceeds, respectively. Possible mechanism of ASA electroreduction was proposed.