Electro-Catalytic Oxidation of Formaldehyde and Acetaldehyde on Copper Chloride Modified Copper Electrode

The electrocatalytic oxidation of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde on copper chloride modified copper electrode in alkaline solution was investigated. The process of oxidation and the kinetics have been investigated using cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and steady-state polarization measurements. The results show that the (ClCu)2O film on the electrode behaves as an efficient catalyst for the electrooxidation of two species in alkaline medium. The CV changes observed indicate that the modifide electrode has a good catalytic activity for the oxidation of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. The transfer coefficient (α), the number of electrons involved in the rate-determining step (nα) and the catalytic rate constant (k) for modified electrode were calculated.