Electrochemistry and reactivity of surface-confined catechol groups derived from diazonium reduction. Bias-assisted Michael addition at the solid/liquid interface

We have designed a novel catechol-modified electrode that could be used for bias-assisted Michael addition at the solid/liquid interface. The glassy carbon electrode was modified by the electrochemical reduction of a catechol para-substituted phenyldiazonium salt. The electrochemistry of surface-confined catechol moieties was investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The transfer coefficient and apparent surface standard electron-transfer rate constant were obtained using Laviron's theory. We demonstrate that o-quinone moieties linked to the surface remain quite reactive with nucleophilic species by Michael addition at the solid/liquid interface. To demonstrate the versatility of this procedure, 4-nitrobenzyl alcohol, (4-nitrobenzyl)amine, and a ferrocenealkylamine were chosen as nucleophile models due to their well-known redox properties. Electrochemically triggered Michael addition was validated, leading to redox headgroup-tethered surfaces.

Modification of carbon electrode with aryl groups having an aliphatic amine by electrochemical reduction of in situ generated diazonium cations

The electrochemically induced functionalization of glassy carbon electrode by aryl groups having an aliphatic amine group was achieved by reduction of in situ generated diazonium cations in aqueous media. The corresponding diazonium cations of 4-aminobenzylamine, 2-aminobenzylamine, 4-(2-aminoethyl)aniline, N-methyl-1,2-phenylenediamine, and N, N-dimethyl- p-phenylenediamine were generated in situ with sodium nitrite in aqueous HCl. The kinetics of electrochemical grafting were investigated with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance measurements (with carbon-coated quartz crystal), and the barrier properties of the grafted layers were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry in the presence of electroactive redox probes such as Fe(CN)6 3-/4- and Ru(NH 3)6 (3+). The grafting efficiency of aryl groups was found to depend on the nature of the amine (primary, secondary, and tertiary), the chain length of the alkyl substituent, and the substitution position on the aromatic ring. The nitrosation of the "aliphatic" amine, in the case of secondary and tertiary amines, was also evidenced by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Spontaneous functionalization of carbon black by reaction with 4-nitrophenyldiazonium cations

The mechanism of the spontaneous chemical functionalization of Vulcan carbon black by reaction with 4-nitrophenyl diazonium cations was investigated by varying the reaction conditions. First, the carbon black was oxidized by nitric acid reflux to introduce oxygenated functionalities onto the surface prior to the functionalization step. Second, a reducing agent (H3PO2) was added to a solution containing 4-nitrobenzene diazonium tetrafluoroborate to generate 4-nitrophenyl radicals homogeneously in the bulk solution. The functionalized carbons were characterized by elemental analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and nitrogen adsorption isotherms using the BET isotherm and DFT Monte Carlo simulations. These characterization methods were employed to determine the grafting yield as a function of the reaction conditions. Interestingly, the grafting yield was not affected by a change in the reaction conditions. An average nitrogen content of 1.4 +/- 0.1 atom % was found by elemental analysis, and XPS showed a nitrogen surface concentration of about 3.5%. XPS also indicated an important decrease in the concentration of oxygenated functionalities upon grafting 4-nitrophenyl moieties onto the oxidized carbon black. Presumably, in this case the grafting involves either the coupling of carboxylate and 4-nitrophenyl radicals or, more likely, a concerted decarboxylation where the diazonium cation, acting as an electrophile, replaces the oxygenated groups and loss of CO2. The nitrogen adsorption isotherms of the functionalized carbon blacks suggested that the grafted groups were most probably localized at the entrance of the micropores.

Chemical polymerization of aniline on a poly(styrene sulfonic acid) membrane: Controlling the polymerization site using different oxidants

Poly(styrene sulfonic acid) membranes (Neosepta CMX, Tokuyama Corp.) have been modified by in situ polymerization of aniline. (NH4)2S2O8, FeCl3, H2O2, and KIO3 were used as oxidizing agents, and two different modification methods (single-step versus two-step) were studied. The composite membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, elemental analysis, electrodialysis, ion-exchange capacity, and conductivity measurements. Our results demonstrate that it is possible to control the polymerization site of aniline which in turn affects the membrane selectivity properties. Hence, composite membranes having a very thin and homogeneous surface polyaniline layer lead to a very low transport of Zn 2+ without increasing significantly the resistance to H+ conductivity. On the other hand, membranes containing about the same quantity of PANI but inside the membrane do not block the transport of Zn 2+.

Characterization and transport properties of Nafion/polyaniline composite membranes

Nafion membranes were modified by chemical polymerization of aniline using ammonium peroxodisulfate as the oxidant. The Nafion-polyaniline composite membranes were extensively characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), infrared (FTIR-ATR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and ion-exchange capacity measurements. The transport properties were also evaluated by conductivity and electrodialysis measurements. The data show that when a high oxidant concentration (1 M (NH4)2S2O8) is used, polyaniline is mostly formed at the surface of the Nafion membrane with a higher proportion of oligomers. On the contrary, when 0.1 M oxidant is used, polyaniline is mostly formed inside the ionic domains of Nafion, blocking the pathway to ion transport and thus reducing the transport of Zn2+ as well as the transport of H+. These data were also compared to the data obtained with poly(styrene sulfonate)-PANI composite membranes.

Electrochemical derivatization of carbon surface by reduction of in situ generated diazonium cations

The derivatization of a glassy carbon electrode surface was achieved by electrochemical reduction of several in situ generated diazonium cations. The diazonium cations were synthesized in the electrochemical cell by reaction of the corresponding amines with NaNO2 in aqueous HCl. The versatility of the method was demonstrated by using six diazonium cations. This deposition method, which involves simple reagents and does not require the isolation and purification of the diazonium salt, enabled the grafting of covalently bounded layers which exhibited properties very similar to those of layers obtained by the classical derivatization method involving isolated diazonium salt dissolved in acetonitrile or aqueous acid solution. Cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy carried out in aqueous solutions containing electroactive redox probe molecules such as Fe(CN)6(3-/4-) and Ru(NH3)6(3+) confirmed the barrier properties of the deposited layers. The chemical composition of the grafted layers was determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and surface coverage in the range 3 x 10(-10) to 6 x 10(-10) mol cm(-2) was estimated for films grown in our experimental conditions.

Electrochemical Derivatization of Carbon Surface by Reduction of in Situ Generated Diazonium Cations

The derivatization of a glassy carbon electrode surface was achieved by electrochemical reduction of several in situ generated diazonium cations. The diazonium cations were synthesized in the electrochemical cell by reaction of the corresponding amines with NaNO2 in aqueous HCl. The versatility of the method was demonstrated by using six diazonium cations. This deposition method, which involves simple reagents and does not require the isolation and purification of the diazonium salt, enabled the grafting of covalently bounded layers which exhibited properties very similar to those of layers obtained by the classical derivatization method involving isolated diazonium salt dissolved in acetonitrile or aqueous acid solution. Cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy carried out in aqueous solutions containing electroactive redox probe molecules such as Fe(CN)6(3-/4-) and Ru(NH3)6(3+) confirmed the barrier properties of the deposited layers. The chemical composition of the grafted layers was determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and surface coverage in the range 3 x 10(-10) to 6 x 10(-10) mol cm(-2) was estimated for films grown in our experimental conditions.

Characterization of the deposition of organic molecules at the surface of gold by the electrochemical reduction of aryldiazonium cations

The deposition of 4-X phenyl groups (X = NO2, COOH, N-(C2H5)2) on polycrystalline gold electrode was achieved by the electrochemical reduction of the corresponding 4-substituted phenyldiazonium tetrafluoroborate salts in anhydrous acetonitrile media. The electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance measurements evidenced a two-step deposition process: the first one is the deposition of close to a monolayer and the second one is the relatively slower growth of multilayers. In this second region, the deposition is less efficient than for the first one. The electrochemical behavior of the resulting modified gold electrode was investigated in the presence of an electroactive redox probe and these results, together with the electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance data, demonstrated significant differences in reactivity and in deposition efficiency between the diazonium salts. The characterization of the modified electrodes by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, as well as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements, showed that the formation of multilayers is possible and that a significant fraction of the deposited material remained at the electrode surface, even following ultrasonic treatment. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data indicate that the existence of Au-C and Au-N=N-C linkages (where C represents a carbon atom of the phenyl group) is uncertain. Nonetheless, the deposition of the aryl groups by electrochemical reduction of diazonium cations yielded a film that adheres well to the gold surface and the deposited organic film hindered gold oxides formation in acidic medium.

Modification of ion-exchange membrane used for separation of protons and metallic cations and characterization of the membrane by current-voltage curves

The ionic transport properties of several cations (H(+), Na(+), and Zn(2+)) across sulfonated ion-exchange membranes modified with an amine were investigated by the measurement of current-voltage curves to determine the effect of the surface modification of the membrane. The membrane was modified by chlorosulfonation and amination with a diamine (N,N-dimethylethylenediamine) and an amine (isoamylamine) to form a sulfonamide bond between amine groups and the surface layer. In the case of the modification with the diamine, the terminal amine was protonated in acidic media or quaternized with methyl iodide. The presence of a positively charged layer on the two sides of the membrane strongly decreased the limiting current flowing across the membrane in the presence of a 1:1 electrolyte such as HCl or HNO(3) due to an increase of the resistance of the membrane. In the case of divalent cations such as Na(+) and Zn(2+), electrostatic repulsion also contributes to the decrease of the limiting current. The presence of divalent anions seems to increase the limiting current somewhat due to their preconcentration within the cationic layer, which facilitates their subsequent transport across the membrane. When only one face of the membrane was modified, the current-voltage measurements showed that the membrane did not behave like a bipolar membrane. For one-side (under forward polarization) and two-side modified membranes, counterions are slightly blocked in the membrane by the cationic layer, which led to a decrease of the membrane conductivity during electrodialysis.

Biochemical reference ranges for groups of ewes of different ages

Reference biochemical ranges for young adult and adult ewes in mid-gestation were derived from 83 pooled serum samples taken from 30 flocks in the Province of Québec, Canada. In each flock the samples were pooled into three age categories and each category contained between six and 10 samples. The blood samples were taken by jugular venepuncture in December 1999. All the values were within the normal published ranges. As the age of the ewes increased there were slight increases in the concentrations of globulin and total protein and decreases in the concentrations of calcium, phosphorus, creatinine, glucose and albumin, and in the activities of alkaline phosphatase and glutathione peroxidase.

Chemical modification of the surface of a sulfonated membrane by formation of a sulfonamide bond

This paper describes a novel approach for the surface modification of a cation-exchange membrane, bearing sulfonate groups, by a cationic layer. The modification procedure involved the chlorosulfonation of the sulfonate groups of the base membrane with thionyl chloride, followed by a reaction with a diamine to yield a sulfonamide bond and a terminal amine. The latter could be quaternized by reaction with methyl iodide or protonated by soaking in acidic media. The membranes were characterized in detail by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies as well as elemental analysis to confirm that the above reactions occurred. The selectivity of these membranes toward the electrochemically assisted transport of protons versus Zn2+ metallic cations was determined during an electrodialysis in a two-compartment electrochemical cell. The data indicate a significant decrease of the transport of the metallic cations following modification of the membrane with the cationic layer. The later allows for the transport of protons from the catholyte to the anolyte compartment with much improved selectivity since the divalent cations are excluded from the membrane due to the electrostatic barrier of the cationic layer.

Stability of Substituted Phenyl Groups Electrochemically Grafted at Carbon Electrode Surface

The electrochemical reduction of an aryl diazonium tetrafluoroborate salt, dissolved in acetonitrile, at a carbon electrode surface allowed the grafting of aryl groups with the formation of a carbon-carbon bond. Groups such as 4-carboxyphenyl, 4-nitrophenyl, 4-diethylaniline (DEA), and 4-bromophenyl were grafted at a glassy carbon electrode surface. The stability of these grafted groups, present at the glassy carbon electrode surface, was studied at various electrode potentials in aqueous media. In appropriate experimental conditions, the as-grafted groups severely inhibit the cyclic voltammetry response of selected redox probes. Thus, the reappearance and/or increase of an electrochemical response, after polarization, was taken as an indication that a modification of the grafted layer occurred. Our results demonstrated that polarization at very positive (ca. 1.8 V) and negative (ca. -2 V) potentials is needed to observe an electrochemical response. Electrochemical impedance and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies were also used to investigate the stability of the grafted layers. The impedance data usually tracks fairly well the cyclic voltammetry results, although the former appears to be more sensitive to changes that are occurring upon polarization of the modified electrode. Interestingly, the XPS data indicate clearly that the grafted layer is not always completely removed at the extreme positive and negative potentials investigated. A mechanism was proposed to explain the transformation occurring during polarization of the modified electrode and involves desorption of the substituted aryl groups during the concomitant hydrogen, oxygen, or chlorine evolution and finally leaving close to a covalently bonded monolayer of the grafted species at the electrode surface.