Cobalt organometallic compounds by electrochemistry

Abstract

The electrochemical oxidation of CoCl2(PPh3)2 was investigated in a mixture of acetonitrile and pentanol (1:1) at a platinum disk working electrode using Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) and Chronoamperometry. Elemental Analysis and Infrared Spectroscopy were used to characterise the synthesized compounds i.e. CoCl2(PPh3)2 and CoCl(PPh3)3. Cyclic Voltammetry was utilised for the examination of different working electrode materials that could be used for the anodic voltammetric studies of CoCl2 (PPh3)2, to characterise the reactants and products of each electrode reaction, to investigate the chloride binding ability to a CoCl(PPh3)3 complex, and to evaluate the electrocatalytic substitution of chloride by PPh3 from the complex CoCl2(PPh3)2. Use of ferrocene as an internal standard during the anodic studies of CoCl2(PPh3)2 was also evaluated. The number of electron involved in the electrode process, CoII to CoIII from CoCl2(PPh3)2 and diffusion coefficient of ferrocene in a mixture of acetonitrile and pentanol (1:1) were determined using Chronoamperometry. Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) and 31P Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (31P NMR) spectra were used to assist with the characterisation of the electrode reactions involved during oxidation of CoCl2(PPh3)2.