Influence of adsorbed carbon monoxide on electrocatalytic oxidation of simple organic molecules at platinum and palladium electrodes in acidic solution: a survey using real-time FTIR spectroscopy

The influence of adsorbed CO formed by dissociative chemisorption on the electrooxidation pathways and kinetics of 22 alcohols and aldehydes on polycrystalline platinum and palladium electrodes in relation to the adsorbed CO formed by dissociative chemisorption has been examined systematically by means of real-time sequences of FTIR spectra obtained during slow (2 mV s{sup {minus}1}) voltammetric sweeps in 0.1 M HClO{sub 4}. The overall objective is to explore the reactant structure-dependent role that adsorbed CO (and other CO{sub 2}-producing species) plays in the organic electrooxidation. The reactants examined include short-chain primary and secondary alcohols, aldehydes, and small bifunctional molecules (e.g., ethylene glycol) containing alcohol, aldehyde, and/or carboxylic acid units.