Electron transfer-ion insertion electrochemistry at an immobilised droplet: probing the three-phase electrode-reaction zone with a Pt disk microelectrode

A four-electrode setup was used to study the following system: a nitrobenzene (NB) drop containing no added supporting electrolyte and either ferrocene or decamethylferrocene was placed on a glassy carbon disk and surrounded by an aqueous solution of supporting electrolyte. The glassy carbon electrode was polarised appropriately to generate either the ferrocenium or the decamethylferrocenium cations. A very thin conical-body Pt microdisk electrode was placed inside the NB drop to detect the product cations. The relation between the time of appearance of the reduction current at the microelectrode and the distance from the three-phase junction indicates that the electrode reaction starts at this junction where both the electron transfer and the ion transfer can take place. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.