ELECTROCHEMICAL BEHAVIOR OF TECHNETIUM(VII) IN ACIDIC MEDIUM

The reduction of technetium(VII) at mercury electrodes in acidic media yields three-valent technetium as the product of the first totally irreversible step. Polarography, chronopotentiometry, chronoamperometry, linear-sweep, and steady-state polarization techniques were used to obtain electrode kinetic parameters for the first stage of the reduction. Reduction of pertechnetate was of first order with respect to TcO4-, and of second order with respect to hydrogen ion in the rate determining step. On the basis of diagnostic criteria, a mechanism was proposed which serves to explain the effects of some important variables on the electrochemical behavior of technetium. © 1979 Elsevier Sequoia S.A.