Voltammetric studies on the reduction of polyoxometalate anions in ionic liquids.
The electrochemical reduction of tetrabutylammonium salts of isostructural pairs of polyoxometalates [Bu4N]2[M6O19], [Bu4N]4[alpha-SiM12O40], and [Bu4N]4[alpha-S2M18O62] (M = Mo or W) has been investigated at glassy carbon electrodes in dissolved and surface-confined states in ionic liquids and other media. In the ionic liquid 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [BMIM][PF(6)], between two and six reversible one-electron-transfer processes were detected. Detailed studies on the process [alpha-S2W18O62](4-/5-) in a range of ionic liquids, water, and conventional organic solvents (containing 0.1 M electrolyte) suggest that the polarity of the medium plays a key role in the determination of the reversible potential. Reduction processes involving very highly charged [alpha-S2W18O62](8-/9-/10-) species are strongly influenced by the purity of the medium.
School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
Jie
J
Zhang
Alan M
AM
Bond
Douglas R
DR
MacFarlane
Stewart A
SA
Forsyth
Jennifer M
JM
Pringle
Andrew W A
AW
Mariotti
Abigail F
AF
Glowinski
Anthony G
AG
Wedd