Building up an electrocatalytic activity scale of cathode materials for organic halide reductions

A wide investigation on the electrochemical activity of four model organic bromides has been carried out in acetonitrile on nine cathodes of widely different affinity for halide anions (Pt, Zn, Hg, Sn, Bi, Pb, Au, Cu, Ag), and the electrocatalytic activities of the latter have been evaluated with respect to three possible inert reference cathode materials, i.e. glassy carbon, boron-doped diamond, and fluorinated boron-doped diamond. A general electrocatalytic activity scale for the process is proposed, with a discussion on its modulation by the configuration of the reacting molecule, and its connection with thermodynamic parameters accounting for halide adsorption.