Kinetics of the cathodic discharge of ammonium ion dissolved in dimethylsulfoxide on platinum

Abstract

The cathodic discharge of ammonium ion dissolved in DMSO solution on platinum electrodes in the temperature range from 25 to 44 °C yields ammonia and hydrogen at the ratio 2 : 1. The kinetics of the reaction was studied both under stationary and non-stationary conditions and reveals an influence of the treatment of the electrode surface. The kinetic parameters were interpreted with a reaction mechanism involving the participation of adsorption competition between either solvent or impurity molecules and hydrogen atoms, assuming the recombination of these adatoms is rate determining.