Laser Electrochemistry of Intermediates

Laser photoelectron emission not only allows investigation of interfaces between electrodes and solution, but also provides a method for fast generation of intermediate species in the vicinity of the interface and so permits study of their electrode reactions. Laser Electrochemistry of Intermediates presents the first-ever comprehensive review of this important phenomenon and its electrochemical applications. The book explores how the innovative method of laser electron emission from metal electrodes resolves two fundamental problems inherent in current methods of intermediate species (IS) generation and detection: difficulty generating IS quickly in the vicinity of the electrode surface and low IS surface concentration. In addition, for the first time, quasi-free and solvated electrons, hydrogen atoms, simple organic and inorganic radicals, and ions with anomalous valence are systematically studied. Laser Electrochemistry of Intermediates incorporates a unique, two-pronged analytical approach. First, the authors consider the kinetics and thermodynamics of the processes based on the participation of IS in its one-electron stages, thus allowing the assignment of real physical meaning to the electrochemical measurables. Second, they consider electrode reactions side by side with homogeneous reactions of electron transfer, facilitating understanding of the universal theory of electron transfer reactions in polar media as well as the peculiarities of these reactions occurring in the interface between electrode and solution.