Electrolytic Reduction of Bicarbonate Ion at a Mercury Electrode

Electrolytic reduction of at Hg was conducted in aqueous solutions of mixtures. is formed as the product; this agrees with the results obtained in the cathodic reduction of . The following reaction mechanism is proposed: The dissociation of takes place in the electrolyte solution and forms , which diffuses through the reaction layer and is cathodically reduced at the electrode. The diffusion equation and Tafel equation for the electrode kinetics are combined and mathematically treated. The partial current of formation, , is related to the electrode potential and the concentration of the components in the solution. The analysis shows that the experimental data obey the relationship derived in accordance with the model. The rate constant of dissociation is compared with literature values.