PROCESSES OCCURRING DURING INTERACTION OF CARBON MONOXIDE WITH PLATINIZED PLATINUM AT POTENTIALS OF HYDROGEN REGION

If the stirring of sulfuric acid solution with carbon monoxide is started at 0.1V, molecular hydrogen is produced during the initial decay of the open-circuit potential of platinized platinum in an amount which is roughly equivalent to that of the weakly bonded hydrogen atoms at 0.1 V. The production of molecular hydrogen is attributed to a replacement reaction involving the loosely adsorbed H atoms. In contrast, molecular hydrogen is not detected during the decay from potentials larger than 0.19 V. Electrochemical evidence is presented for the formation of a soluble organic compound by a reductive process that involves CO and occurs at potentials of the hydrogen region. The reductive process is largely responsible for the initial decrease of potential with time. The gradual increase of potential with time after the minimum in the potential-time curves is interpreted in terms of a mixed potential process.