Proton-coupled oxygen reduction at liquid-liquid interfaces catalyzed by cobalt porphine

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/ja904569p

Cobalt porphine (CoP) dissolved in the organic phase of a biphasic system is used to catalyze O₂ reduction by an electron donor, ferrocene (Fc). Using voltammetry at the interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions (ITIES), it is poss

Full text of DOI:10.1021/ja904569p

Published on Web 08/28/2009
Proton-Coupled Oxygen Reduction at Liquid-Liquid
Interfaces Catalyzed by Cobalt Porphine
Imren Hatay,†,‡ Bin Su,† Fei Li,† Manuel Alejandro Me´ndez,† Tony Khoury,§
Claude P. Gros,§ Jean-Michel Barbe,§ Mustafa Ersoz,‡ Zdenek Samec,# and
Hubert H. Girault*,†
Laboratoire d’Electrochimie Physique et Analytique, Ecole Polytechnique Fe´de´rale de Lausanne,
Station 6, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland, Department of Chemistry, Selcuk UniVersity,
42031 Konya, Turkey, Institut de Chimie Mole´culaire de l’UniVersite´ de Bourgogne, ICMUB
(UMR 5260), 21078 Dijon cedex, France, and J. HeyroVsky Institute of Physical Chemistry,
Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, DolejskoVa 3, 18223 Prague 8, Czech Republic
Received June 5, 2009; E-mail: hubert.girault@epfl.ch
Abstract: Cobalt porphine (CoP) dissolved in the organic phase of a biphasic system is used to catalyze
O2 reduction by an electron donor, ferrocene (Fc). Using voltammetry at the interface between two immiscible
electrolyte solutions (ITIES), it is possible to drive this catalytic reduction at the interface as a function of
the applied potential difference, where aqueous protons and organic electron donors combine to reduce
O2. The current signal observed corresponds to a proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) reaction, as no
current and no reaction can be observed in the absence of either the aqueous acid, CoP, Fc, or O2.
Introduction
study proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) reactions at soft
interfaces and to provide evidence of interfacial electrocatalytic
Oxygen reduction catalyzed by porphyrins is of great interest
in fields as diverse as biology, photosynthesis, and electrocataly-
sis.1,2 In nature, oxygen reduction occurs at soft interfaces,
namely biomembranes that provide both a physical separation
of the reactants and products, and an electrochemical driving
force resulting from the membrane electrical potential difference.
Electrochemistry at liquid-liquid interfaces is a new type of
bioinspired electrochemistry. Indeed, the interface between two
immiscible electrolyte solutions (ITIES) provides a physical
separation of the reactants and products, and the polarization
of this soft interface also allows an electrochemical control for
different charge transfer reactions such as ion transfer, assisted
ion transfer (e.g. acid-base reactions involving an interfacial
protonation), and heterogeneous electron transfer reactions
between a hydrophilic and a lipophilic redox couple.3-7 Here,
we demonstrate that voltammetry is a very powerful tool to
reactions, i.e. catalytic reactions that are dependent on the soft
interface polarization.
In classical molecular electrocatalysis, porphyrin catalysts are
usually deposited on solid electrodes, and their catalytic activity
is observed as a shift of the reduction current to higher electrode
potential values. A variety of porphyrins have been studied with
this voltammetric methodology.2,8-11 In this case, both the
structure of the adsorbed porphyrin layer and that of the
electrode surface have a significant impact on the catalytic
reaction mechanisms. For example, cobalt(II) porphine (CoP)
and other cobalt porphyrins such as [2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-
octaethyl-21H,23H-porphyrin]cobalt(II) (CoOEP) have been
shown to catalyze a four-electron reduction of O2 to H2O when
being adsorbed on graphite electrodes,12 and to catalyze mainly
a two-electron reduction of O2 to yield hydrogen peroxide
(H2O2) when being deposited onto gold electrodes.13 O2
reduction both to H2O2 and to H2O are proton-coupled electron
transfer (PCET) reactions, in which proton transfer and electron
transfer are tightly coupled. Voltammetry measurements on solid
electrodes record the electron transfer step of the catalytic cycle
and have been widely used to elucidate PCET reaction mech-
† Ecole Polytechnique Fe´de´rale de Lausanne.
‡ Selcuk University.
§ Universite´ de Bourgogne.
# Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.
(1) Boulatov, R. In N4-Macrocyclic Metal Complexes; Zagal, J. H.,
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J. AM. CHEM. SOC. 2009, 131, 13453–13459 13453

A R T I C L E S
Hatay et al.
Scheme 1. Molecular Structure of CoP
anisms as recently reviewed by Huynh and Meyer and
Costentin.14,15
The interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions
is formed between two solvents of a low mutual miscibility,
such as water and 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE), each containing
an electrolyte. An ITIES can be polarized with the formation
of two back-to-back Gouy-Chapman diffuse layers, and it is
possible to use classical methodologies to study charge transfer
reactions, as well as adsorption phenomena. This type of
electrochemistry without a solid working electrode provides a
suitable model for investigating heterogeneous processes oc-
curring in biological systems, which are often PCET reactions
such as the proton-coupled oxygen reduction reactions within
aerobic living organisms. Oxygen reduction at the ITIES has
been studied by using various lipophilic electron donors,
decamethylferrocene (DMFc),16-21 reduced flavin mononucle-
otide (FMN),22 tetrachlorohydroquinone (CQH2)23 and fullerene
monoanion (C60-).24 In the case of DMFc, the oxygen reduction
produces H2O2, as evidenced by two-phase reactions19 and
in situ detection of H2O2 using scanning electrochemical
microscopy.20 Furthermore, the catalytic effect of various por-
phyrin compounds including cobalt tetraphenylporphyrin,18,21
as well as electrodeposited platinum particles,17 on the oxygen
reduction by DMFc at the water-DCE interface has also been
investigated.
Scheme 2. Three-Compartment Glass Cell for Liquid-Liquid
Electrochemistry
range as that of the PCET reaction and the two processes
can be observed.
Herein, we report that cobalt porphine (CoP) catalyzes the
reduction of O2 in biphasic systems where the aqueous phase
is acidic and where the organic phase contains electron donors.
In particular, we show by voltammetry at ITIES that this
interfacial catalytic process occurs through a proton-coupled
electron transfer (PCET) reaction that depends on the interfacial
polarization, i.e. on the potential difference applied between the
two phases. Indeed, no reaction takes place in the absence of
either CoP, ferrocene (Fc) or O2. In this biphasic system, the
reactants are separated by the interface with the protons in the
aqueous phase, the catalyst and the electron donor in the organic
phase. Voltammetry at ITIES records the current, i.e. the
passage of charges through the interface. In the case of the
interfacial catalytic reduction of O2, the current records
the transport of H+ from the aqueous phase to the interfacial
reaction site. This is the main difference with voltammetry
at solid electrodes that only records electron transfer steps.
Furthermore, the oxidation product of ferrocene, namely
ferrocenium, does not cross the interface in the same potential
Experimental Section
Chemicals and Reagents. All solvents and chemicals were used
as received without further purification. Ferrocene (Fc, 98%), 1,1′-
dimethylferrocene (DFc, 97%), ferrocene carboxaldehyde (FcCA,
98%), and lithium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate diethyl etherate
(LiTB) were purchased from Aldrich. Lithium chloride anhydrous
(LiCl, g99%), hydrochloric acid (HCl, 37%), 1,2-dichloroethane
(DCE, g99.8%), sodium iodide (NaI, >99.5%), tetraethylammo-
nium chloride (TEACl, g98%), and bis(triphenylphosphoranylide-
ne)ammonium chloride (BACl, g98%) were obtained from Fluka.
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2, 30%) was ordered from Reactolab SA.
Bis(triphenylphosphoranylidene)ammonium tetrakis(pentafluorophe-
nyl)borate (BATB) was prepared by metathesis of 1:1 mixtures of
BACl and LiTB in a methanol/water mixture (V:V ) 2:1), followed
by recrystallization from acetone.25 All the aqueous solutions were
prepared with ultra pure water (18.2 MΩ cm-1). The pH of the
acidic aqueous solutions was adjusted by addition of HCl. The
synthesis of CoP is detailed in the Supporting Information, and its
molecular structure is illustrated in Scheme 1.
Voltammetric Measurements. Voltammetry measurements at
the water-DCE interface were performed in a four-electrode
configuration with two reference electrodes to polarize the interface
and two counter electrodes to provide the current. A commercial
potentiostat (PGSTAT 30, Eco-Chemie, Netherlands) or a custom-
built system connected to a Stanford Research System DS335
synthesized function generator was used. A three-compartment glass
cell featuring a cylindrical vessel was used, where the water-DCE
interface with a geometric area of 1.53 cm2 was formed as illustrated
in Scheme 2. Two platinum counter electrodes were positioned in
the aqueous and DCE phases, respectively, to supply the current
flow. The external potential was applied by means of two silver/
silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) reference electrodes, which were con-
nected to the aqueous and DCE phases, respectively, by means of
a Luggin capillary. The electrochemical cell composition is
schematically illustrated in Scheme 3. The Galvani potential
difference (∆wo φ) was estimated by taking the formal ion transfer
(14) Huynh, M. H. V.; Meyer, T. J. Chem. ReV. 2007, 107, 5004–5064.
(15) Costentin, C. Chem. ReV. 2008, 108, 2145–2179.
(16) Cunnane, V. J.; Geblewicz, G.; Schifferin, D. J. Electrochim. Acta
1995, 40, 3005–14.
(17) Trojanek, A.; Langmaier, J.; Samec, Z. Electrochem. Commun. 2006,
8, 475–481.
(18) Trojanek, A.; Marecek, V.; Janchenova, H.; Samec, Z. Electrochem.
Commun. 2007, 9, 2185–2190.
(19) Su, B.; Nia, R. P.; Li, F.; Hojeij, M.; Prudent, M.; Corminboeuf, C.;
Samec, Z.; Girault, H. H. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2008, 47, 4675–
4678.
(20) Li, F.; Su, B.; Salazar, F. C.; Nia, R. P.; Girault, H. H. Electrochem.
Commun. 2009, 11, 473–476.
(21) Partovi-Nia, R.; Su, B.; Li, F.; Gros, C. P.; Barbe, J.-M.; Samec, Z.;
Girault, H. H. Chem.sEur. J. 2009, 15, 2335–2340.
(22) Suzuki, M.; Matsui, M.; Kihara, S. J. Electroanal. Chem. 1997, 438,
147–151.
(23) Ohde, H.; Maeda, K.; Yoshida, Y.; Kihara, S. J. Electroanal. Chem.
2000, 483, 108–116.
(24) Liljeroth, P.; Quinn, B. M.; Kontturi, K. Langmuir 2003, 19, 5121–
5127.
(25) Su, B.; Abid, J.-P.; Fermin, D. J.; Girault, H. H.; Hoffmannova, H.;
Krtil, P.; Samec, Z. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 915–919.
9
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CoP Catalysis of PCET at Liquid-Liquid Interfaces
A R T I C L E S
Scheme 3. Composition of the Electrochemical Cell
Table 1. Calculated Equilibrium Concentrations after Contact with
5 mM BATB in DCE with 10 mM HCl and 5 mM LiTB in Watera
+
cFc /mM cH /mM
+
+
cBA /mM
-
cTB /mM cLi /mM
+
-
cCl /mM
water
DCE
0
0
5.81
4.19
2.46 × 10-19
0.14
9.86
4.34
0.66
10.00
5.00
7.50 × 10-18
a The Galvani potential difference across the water-DCE interface
potential of tetraethylammonium cation (TEA+) as 0.019 V.26 The
cyclic voltammograms recorded during the second potential cycling
scan were showed, unless otherwise specified. A scan rate of 0.05
V s-1 was used.
calculated is approximately 0.54 V.
potential window is limited by the transfer of Cl- at negative
potentials and by the transfer of H+ at positive potentials.
Compared to the background voltammetric response, the pres-
ence of either CoP or Fc only did not introduce any significant
changes. Note that in the latter case a small wave around 0 V
corresponds to the transfer of some traces of ferrocenium (Fc+)
present in the system.16 In contrast, when CoP and Fc were
both present, a large irreversible positive current wave was
observed at positive potentials, i.e. a wave without a signal on
the return scan. However, on this return scan a current wave
for Fc+ transfer can be clearly observed, indicating that Fc+
was produced when the interface is positively polarized. Upon
repetitive cycling, steady increase of this Fc+ ion transfer wave
indicates that more ferrocenium ions are being produced. Figure
1b clearly shows that the irreversible current wave disappears
under anaerobic conditions and is enhanced under oxygen-
saturated conditions, thereby producing more Fc+. This volta-
mmetric data undoubtedly shows that this irreversible wave
results from the combined presence of protons, CoP, Fc, and
O2.
Two-Phase Reactions Controlled by a Common Ion. Two-
phase reactions were performed in small glass flasks, to which 2
mL of DCE solution containing reactants (Fc, CoP) was added first,
followed by the addition of 2 mL of an aqueous solution containing
10 mM HCl. The salts of the common ion (TB-), LiTB, and BATB,
were added in the same concentration of 5 mM to the aqueous and
DCE phases, respectively. After stirring and further waiting for the
clear separation of two phases, the aqueous and organic solutions
were isolated from each other. The organic phase was directly
subjected to UV-visible spectroscopic measurements, while the
aqueous phase was first treated by excess NaI (equivalent to 0.1
M) prior to the UV-visible spectroscopic measurements. The
UV-visible spectroscopic measurements were performed on an
Ocean Optical CHEM2000 spectrophotometer. The experiments
under anaerobic conditions were carried out in a glovebox purged
by nitrogen. All the experiments were performed at an ambient
temperature (23 ( 2 °C) with air-saturated solutions unless specified
otherwise.
Results and Discussion
In the following, two-phase reactions were performed.
Typically, a DCE solution containing 5 mM BATB and 5 mM
Fc/50 µM CoP was put in contact with an aqueous solution
containing 5 mM LiTB and 10 mM HCl in a small flask. In
this case, the Galvani potential difference between the two
phases resulting from the distribution of all the ions is dominated
by the partition of the common ion, here TB- anion. With such
a choice of electrolyte, this distribution of Galvani potential
difference can be calculated knowing the respective Gibbs
energy of transfer of the different ionic species and is found to
be approximately 0.54 V (Table 1, and Supporting Information).
At equilibrium in the absence of ferrocene, the acid HTB is
extracted in the organic phase at a concentration of 4.19 mM
(Table 1). After stirring the reaction flask for a couple of
seconds, the two phases were separated from each other and
were analyzed. As shown in Figures 2a, when only Fc was
present (flask 1), the color and UV-visible spectrum of DCE
phase did not change, indicating that no reaction took place
(Note that it takes many hours to detect Fc+ in this case as the
direct oxidation of ferrocene by oxygen is a very slow process).
When only CoP was added (flask 3), the DCE phase kept its
pink color, and a red shift of both Soret and Q bands were
observed in its UV-visible spectrum (Figure 3a), which is
ascribed to the oxygenation of CoIIP by the formation of
superoxide adduct considered formally as (CoIII-O2)P.27 In
contrast, in the presence of both Fc and CoP (flask 2) the color
of DCE solution changed instantaneously upon contact with the
aqueous solution, and the final color indicates a mixture of Fc+
and CoP. In the UV-visible spectrum (Figure 3a), a strong
absorption band at 620 nm due to Fc+ was observed,21 the
intensity of which suggests that all Fc was oxidized to Fc+.
Proton-Coupled Oxygen Reduction. Figure 1a compares the
first scan of four cyclic voltammograms obtained by polarizing
the water-DCE interface from -0.25 to 0.4 V. The supporting
electrolytes, namely LiCl and BATB determine the size of the
potential window. BA+ and TB- being very lipophilic ions, the
Figure 1. (a) Cyclic voltammetry obtained at a water-DCE interface with
the cell illustrated in Scheme 3: x ) 0 and y ) 0 (black), x ) 50 and y )
0 (red), x ) 0 and y ) 5 (blue), and x ) 50 and y ) 5 (green). (b) Same
with x ) 50 and y ) 5 under air-saturated (black), anaerobic (red), and
oxygen-saturated (blue) conditions. The dotted arrows in the figure direct
the forward scan. The vertical and horizontal axes respectively represent
the electric current density flow across the water-DCE interface and the
Galvani potential difference across the interface.
(26) Wandlowski, T.; Marecek, V.; Samec, Z. Electrochim. Acta 1990, 35,
1173–5.
(27) Collman, J. P.; Brauman, J. I.; Doxsee, K. M.; Halbert, T. R.; Hayes,
S. E.; Suslick, K. S. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1978, 100, 2761–6.
9
J. AM. CHEM. SOC. VOL. 131, NO. 37, 2009 13455

A R T I C L E S
Hatay et al.
Figure 3. (a) UV-visible spectra of the DCE phases separated from the
flask 1 (black), flask 2 (red), and flask 3 (blue) after the two-phase reaction
illustrated in Figure 2a; that of freshly prepared 5 mM Fc (dotted black)
and 50 µM CoP (dotted blue) are also given for comparison. (b) UV-visible
spectra of the aqueous phases separated from the flask 1 (black), flask 2
(red), and flask 3 (blue) after being treated with excess NaI for 30 min.
The solutions were diluted ten times prior to measurements.
Figure 2. (a) Photographic illustrations of two-phase reactions controlled
by TB- partition after shaking a couple of seconds: the top aqueous phase
containing 5 mM LiTB + 10 mM HCl was the same for all three flasks;
the bottom DCE phase contained 5 mM Fc, 5 mM Fc + 50 µM CoP, and
50 µM CoP in flask 1, 2, and 3, respectively; the inset shows the flasks
before adding the top aqueous solution. (b) Two-phase reaction under
anaerobic conditions with other conditions the same as flask 2 in Figure
2a. The notations under the figure illustrate the solution composition of
each flask.
spectroscopy in our lab. Regarding the further reduction of H2O2
by Fc, it can occur either heterogeneously or homogenously.
To elucidate this point, a comparative test (Supporting Informa-
tion) was therefore performed with the Galvani potential
difference controlled either by the distribution of the common
ion TMA+ or that of TB-, approximately at 0.16 and 0.54 V,
respectively, as shown in Tables 1 and 3. In the former case,
protons having a standard ion transfer potential of 0.55 V26 are
mainly confined to the aqueous phase, and the partition of
neutral H2O2 from water to DCE also occurs.29 However, no
oxidation of Fc was observed (Supporting Information, Figure
S-1), which suggests that the heterogeneous reduction of H2O2
located in acidic water by Fc in DCE does not occur even if it
is thermodynamically favorable. It also proves that without the
presence of protons in the organic phase Fc does not react with
H2O2 in DCE. In contrast, when 4.19 mM HTB is available in
DCE when using TB- as the common ion (Table 1), an
immediate oxidation of Fc is observed. Therefore, it can be
concluded that the reaction of Fc with the formed H2O2 occurs
homogenously in DCE in the presence of organic protons.
Indeed, thermodynamic calculations show that H2O2 in DCE is
much more oxidizing than in water as given in Table 4.
The above two possibilities, either two- or four-electron
reduction, for H2O production are however difficult to dif-
ferentiate in the present biphasic system. Nevertheless, a control
experiment under anaerobic conditions showed that no reaction
took place (neither Fc+ nor H2O2 was detected as shown in
Figure 2b), which undoubtedly confirms the occurrence of an
oxygen reduction reaction catalyzed by CoP in this biphasic
By treating the aqueous phases with sodium iodide (NaI),
hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was detected only in the aqueous
phase of flask 2.19 H2O2 oxidizes iodide to triiodide, displaying
two absorption bands at 286 and 352 nm as shown in Figure
3b. However, the H2O2 detected in water was 0.445 mM,
corresponding to a yield of 18% if considering a two-electron
reduction (Assuming the concentration of O2 in this open
experimental system and that of proton are in excess, the
theoretical yield of H2O2 amounts to 2.5 mM). For comparison,
the yield of H2O2 production in similar experiments using
decamethylferrocene as a donor in the absence of catalysts was
about 40%.19 Moreover, the percentage of H2O2 produced here
decreases with increasing the molar ratio of Fc to H+ and
becomes negligible when this ratio exceeds 1. This suggests
that the reduction of O2 is either a direct four-electron reduction
of O2 to H2O catalyzed by CoP or that H2O2 formed via a two-
electron reduction pathway is further reduced by Fc. A four-
electron reduction pathway has been observed on graphite
electrodes for CoP12 and is due to the formation of CoP dimers
which function like biscobalt bisporphyrins. It is well-known
that some biscobalt bisporphyrins with an optimal molecular
geometry can catalyze four-electron reduction of O2 to H2O.28
Here, CoP may form dimers at the liquid-liquid interface in a
face-to-face geometry or may form one-dimensional polymers,
which are currently being investigated by interface-sensitive
(28) Collman, J. P.; Boulatov, R.; Sunderland, C. J. In Porphyrin Handbook;
Kadish, K. M., Smith, K. M., Guilard, R., Eds.; Academic Press: New
York, 2003; Vol. 11, pp 1-49.
(29) Trojanek, A.; Samec, Z. Private communications.
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CoP Catalysis of PCET at Liquid-Liquid Interfaces
A R T I C L E S
Table 2. Calculated Equilibrium Concentrations after Contacting 5 mM Fc and 5 mM BATB in DCE with 10 mM HCl and 5 mM LiTB in
Watera
+
cFc /mM
+
cH /mM
+
cBA /mM
-
cTB /mM
+
cLi /mM
-
cCl /mM
water
DCE
1.25 × 10-4
5.00
8.89 × 10-15
4.06 × 10-6
5.00
10.00
5.00
9.98 × 10-5
5.00
10.00
2.10 × 10-5
2.72 × 10-13
a The Galvani potential difference across the water-DCE interface calculated is approximately 0.27 V.
Table 3. Calculated Equilibrium Concentrations after Contact with
5 mM TMATB in DCE with 10 mM HCl and 5 mM TMACl in
Watera
system. Moreover, both voltammetric and two-phase reaction
data (Figures 1 and 2) clearly show that this catalytic oxygen
reduction reaction requires the concomitant presence of H+, CoP,
Fc, and O2 at positive Galvani potential differences fixed either
with a potentiostat (Figure 1) or chemically by a salt distribution
(Figure 2). A control cyclic voltammetry measurement also
proved that in the available potential window no reaction takes
place between Fc in DCE and H2O2 in acidic aqueous phase
(Supporting Information, Figure S-2). Therefore, the irreversible
current wave in Figure 1 corresponds to an interfacial proton-
coupled oxygen reduction process, where the electron and proton
transfer occur concomitantly. As reported previously by Fuku-
zumi et al. in a homogeneous organic system, O2 reduction by
Fc in the presence of an organic soluble acid proceeds rather
slowly but can be significantly accelerated in the presence of
cobalt porphyrins as catalysts.30-32 In bulk phases, the reaction
proceeds by a PCET reaction with electron transfer from Fc to
O2 and proton transfer from an organic soluble acid to O2. The
catalysis originates from the formation of a superoxide-like
intermediate, in which an electron partially delocalizes from
the cobalt porphyrin to O2. In the present biphasic system, the
proton-coupled oxygen reduction by Fc occurs also interfacially
as observed by voltammetry, with protons from the aqueous
phase and electron donors from DCE. The overall reaction can
be expressed as:
+
cFc /mM
+
cH /mM
+
cTMA /mM
-
cTB /mM
-
cCl /mM
water
DCE
0
0
10.00
5.00
5.00
2.58 × 10-8 15.00
2.53 × 10-6
5.00
3.21 × 10-11
a The Galvani potential difference across the water-DCE interface
calculated is approximately 0.16 V.
Table 4. List of the Standard Redox Potentials of Various Redox
Couples
0
[EO/R
R
SHE
redox reaction
medium
]
(R ) w,o)/V
CoP+ + e- f CoP
DCE
DCE
DCE
DCE
DCE
DCE
water
water
1.15a
Fc+ + e- f Fc
0.64b
DFc+ + e- f DFc
0.55b
FcCA+ + e- f FcCA
O2 + 2H+ + 2e- f H2O2
O2 + 4H+ + 4e- f 2H2O
O2 + 2H+ + 2e- f H2O2
O2 + 4H+ + 4e- f 2H2O
0.96c
1.166d
1.749d
0.695e
1.229e
a Measured by cyclic voltammetry using a Pt electrode 25 µm in
diameter and a silver wire as the working and quasi-reference electrode,
5 mM BATB as the supporting electrolyte. b From reference 36. c From
reference 37. d Calculated from a thermodynamic cycle as shown in the
Supporting Information. e From reference 38.
Scheme 4. Interfacial PCET Mechanism
2Fc(o) + O2(g) + 2H(+w) CoP8 2Fc+(o) + H2O2(w)
(1)
and/or
4Fc(o) + O2(g) + 4H(+w) CoP8 4Fc(+o) + 2H2O(w)
(2)
They correspond to a two-electron reduction and a four-
electron reduction pathway, respectively. The oxygen concentra-
tion in the air-saturated DCE is 1.39 mM,33 and the consumption
of oxygen in DCE is accompanied by the oxygen partition at
the water-DCE and air-water interfaces.34,35 It is also impor-
tant to remember that current signals at ITIES are solely the
result of the transfer of charges (ions or electrons) across the
interface. In other words, the irreversible current wave experi-
mentally observed at positive potentials represents essentially
a proton flux controlled directly by the electrochemical polariza-
tion. Another point worthy of stressing is that in the two-phase
experiment with TB- as a common ion the Galvani distribution
potential resulting from the partition of all ions is very positive,
ensuring that Fc+ produced during the reaction remains in the
organic phase and does not transfer to the aqueous one where
it is not chemically stable. Indeed, after the two-phase reaction
the Galvani potential difference across the water-DCE interface
decreased to approximately 0.27 V as shown in Table 2, which
nevertheless is still positive enough to confine Fc+ in DCE.
Thermodynamic Analysis. A three-step reaction mechanism
is proposed as illustrated in Scheme 4, in which the PT and ET
are coupled at the water-DCE interface leading to the irrevers-
ible current observed by voltammetry. The PCET is ac-
companied by the regeneration of CoP by Fc and the oxygen
coordination with CoP. These steps can be expressed as follows:
(30) Fukuzumi, S.; Mochizuki, S.; Tanaka, T. Chem. Lett. 1989, 27–30.
(31) Fukuzumi, S.; Mochizuki, S.; Tanaka, T. Inorg. Chem. 1989, 28, 2459–
65.
(32) Fukuzumi, S.; Okamoto, K.; Gros, C. P.; Guilard, R. J. Am. Chem.
Soc. 2004, 126, 10441–10449.
(36) Eugster, N.; Fermin, D. J.; Girault, H. H. J. Phys. Chem. B 2002,
106, 3428–3433.
(37) Measured by cyclic voltammetry using a Pt electrode 25 µm in
diameter and a silver wire as the working and quasi-reference electrode,
5 mM BATB as the supporting electrolyte.
(38) Girault, H. H. Analytical and Physical Electrochemistry; EPFL Press:
Lausanne, 2004.
(33) Luehring, P.; Schumpe, A. J. Chem. Eng. Data 1989, 34, 250–2.
(34) Barker, A. L.; Macpherson, J. V.; Slevin, C. J.; Unwin, P. R. J. Phys.
Chem. B 1998, 102, 1586–1598.
(35) Slevin, C. J.; Ryley, S.; Walton, D. J.; Unwin, P. R. Langmuir 1998,
14, 5331–5334.
9
J. AM. CHEM. SOC. VOL. 131, NO. 37, 2009 13457

A R T I C L E S
Hatay et al.
2e:(CoIII-O2)P(o) + Fc(o) + 2H+(w) f CoIIIP(+o) + Fc(+o)
+
H2O2(w) (3a)
or
4e:P(CoIII-O2-CoIII)P(o) + 2Fc(o) + 4H(+w) f 2CoIIIP(+o)
2Fc+(o) + 2H2O(w) (3b)
+
CoIIIP+(o) + Fc(o) f CoIIP(o) + Fc(+o)
(4)
(5a)
(5b)
2e:CoIIP(o) + O2(o) f (CoIII-O2)P(o)
Figure 4. Cyclic voltammetry at a water-DCE interface with the cell
illustrated in Scheme 3 in the presence of 5 mM Fc and 50 µM CoP (x )
50 and y ) 5) at pH 1 (black), pH 2 (red), and pH 3 (blue). The curves
show that ferrocenium is stable in the aqueous phase on the time scale of
a scan.
4e:2CoIIP(o) + O2(o) f P(CoIII-O2-CoIII)P(o)
In the case of a two-electron reduction pathway (eq 3a), the
Gibbs energy of the PCET reaction at equilibrium is:
∆G ) µ˜Co oP + µ˜oFc + µHw O - µ(oCo-O )P - µoFc - 2µ˜wH ) 0
+
+
+
2
2
2
(6)
Similarly, that of eq 5a is:
∆G ) µo(Co-O )P - µoCoP - µgO ) 0
(7)
2
2
where µ˜Ri and µRi represent the electrochemical potential and
chemical potential of species i in their respective phases (o, w,
or g). By combining eqs 6 and 7, developing and introducing
the standard redox potentials, we have:
RT ln 10
∆wo φ2et ) ∆wo φ02et
pH +
F
aoFc aoCoP
+
+
RT
ln
p0
awH O
(8)
o
o
2
2
(
[
)(
)
( )
2F
fO
]
aFc aCoP
2
where aRi represents the activity of species i. fO and p0 are the
fugacity of oxygen and the standard pressure. ∆2owφ20et represents
the standard potential for the two-electron interfacial PCET
reaction catalyzed by CoP given by
Figure 5. (a) Cyclic voltammetry at a water-DCE interface obtained with
the cell illustrated in Scheme 3 in the presence of 50 µM CoP and different
electron donors (x ) 50 and y ) 5): Fc (black), DFc (red), and FcCA (blue).
The dotted curve represents the background CV (x ) 0 and y ) 0). (b)
Tafel plots the background-subtracted catalytic current in the forward scan
for Fc (black) and DFc (red).
1
2
1
2
o
o
∆wo φ02et
)
E0
+
E0
- E
0
w
[
]
[
]
+
+
CoP /CoP
Fc /Fc
[
O2/H2O2 SHE
]
SHE
SHE
(9)
Equations 8 and 10 represent the Nernst equations for the
two- and four-electron interfacial PCET reaction, both of which
predict a pH dependence of the voltammetric signal. Indeed,
the observed current shifts with pH by around 60 mV/pH, as
shown in Figure 4, and as predicted by eqs 8 and 10. The Nernst
equations also predict a dependence on the value of the standard
redox potential of the organic electron donor. When Fc is
replaced either by a stronger electron donor, DFc, or by a weaker
one, FcCA, the onset potential of the irreversible current shifts
to negative and positive potentials, respectively. Fc, DFc, and
FcCA have standard redox potential values of 0.64, 0.55,36 and
0.94 V;37 therefore, the shift observed from the voltammetric
data of Figure 5a corroborates the predictions of eqs 8 and 10.
According to these two equations, a shift of 45 mV is expected
for Fc and DFc, which can be easily observed with a Tafel plot
(Figure 5b). The shift of the Tafel plot undoubtedly shows that
the electron donor takes part in the interfacial PCET reaction.
The standard redox potentials of a two-electron reduction
reaction for Fc and DFc are equal to 0.20 and 0.15 V, while
0
o
0
o
0
w
+
+
where [ECoP
]
/CoP SHE, [EFc
]
/Fc SHE, and [EO /H O
]
denote the
SHE
standard redox potentials of the CoP+/CoP2and2Fc+/Fc couples
in DCE and O2/H2O2 couple in water, respectively, all with
respect to the aqueous standard hydrogen electrode (SHE).
In the same way, the redox potential for the four-electron
interfacial PCET reaction catalyzed by CoP (eq 3b) can be
derived as follows:
2
RT ln 10
∆wo φ4et ) ∆wo φ04et
+
pH +
F
aoFc
aoCoP
2
2
p0
+
+
RT
4F
(awH O
)
(10)
2
ln
o
o
2
(
) (
)
( )
[
fO
]
aFc
aCoP
2
with the standard potential given by
1
2
1
2
o
o
∆wo φ04et
)
E0
+
E0
- E
0
w
[
]
[
]
+
+
CoP /CoP
Fc /Fc
[
O2/H2O
]
SHE
SHE
SHE
(11)
9
13458 J. AM. CHEM. SOC. VOL. 131, NO. 37, 2009

CoP Catalysis of PCET at Liquid-Liquid Interfaces
A R T I C L E S
Figure 7. (a) Cyclic voltammetry at a water-DCE interface obtained with
the cell illustrated in Scheme 3 in the presence of 50 µM CoP (x ) 50) and
various concentration of Fc. The curves represent the first scans. (b)
Dependence of the irreversible current at 0.32 V on the Fc concentration.
The straight line corresponds to a linear fitting in the lower concentration
range.
Figure 6. (a) Cyclic voltammetry at a water-DCE interface obtained with
the cell illustrated in Scheme 3 in the presence of 5 mM Fc (y ) 5) and
various concentrations of CoP. (b) Linear dependence of the irreversible
current at 0.35 V on the CoP concentration.
those of a four-electron reduction reaction are -0.34 and -0.38
V, as calculated with eqs 9 and 11. This might suggest that the
catalytic current is due to a two-electron reduction of O2, because
experimentally the catalytic current was only observed at
positive potentials.
in the aqueous phase and the electron donors in the organic
phase. In the present model system, we have reacted an oxygen
carrier catalyst (namely cobalt porphine, aqueous protons and
lipophilic electron donors) and shown that voltammetry can be
efficiently used to probe the interfacial reaction. To the best of
our knowledge this work is the first voltammetric study of an
electrocatalytic reaction at a soft interface, where the rate of
the catalytic reaction is controlled by the interfacial polarization,
i.e. by the applied potential difference. This investigation opens
the way for studying synthetic catalysts able to carry out the
four-electron reduction of oxygen to water.
Kinetic Analysis. The irreversible current depends on the
oxygen concentration (Figure 1), and it is also directly propor-
tional to the CoP concentration in the range 0-0.1 mM when
O2, Fc, and protons are in excess, as shown in a and b of Figure
6. Additionally, Figure 7a shows that the current is directly
proportional to the Fc concentration in the range 0.2-1 mM,
i.e. when it is lower than the oxygen concentration. Above 1
mM, the current becomes independent of the electron donor
concentration as shown in Figure 7b. As the proton concentration
is always in excess, the voltammetric data indicates that the
rate-limiting step depends on the concentration ratio of the
different reactants. In the presence of an excess of aqueous
protons and organic electron donor, the catalytic cycle rate is
limited by the potential-dependent PCET step between
(CoIII-O2)P, H+, and Fc. Indeed, the other steps such as the
reduction of CoIIIP+ and the formation of (CoIII-O2)P are bulk
reactions and therefore potential independent.
Acknowledgment. This work was supported by EPFL, the
Swiss National Science Foundation (FNRS 200020-116588), CNRS,
Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (No. 203/07/1257), and
European Cost Action D36/007/06 and CNRS. I.H. and M.E. also
gratefully acknowledge the Scientific and Technological Research
Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) under the 2212-PhD Scholarship
Program.
Supporting Information Available: Synthetic details of CoP,
calculations of the Galvani potential difference across the
liquid-liquid interface, calculations of the standard redox
potential in the organic phase, two-phase reaction and liquid-
liquid electrochemistry data. This material is available free of
charge via the Internet at http://pubs.acs.org.
Conclusions
This work shows that voltammetry at soft interfaces is a very
powerful tool to study proton-coupled electron transfer reactions
of biological interest such as the interfacial reduction of oxygen
catalyzed by a metalloporphyrin, e.g. Co(II) porphine. As in
biosystems, the reactants can be phase separated with the protons
JA904569P
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J. AM. CHEM. SOC. VOL. 131, NO. 37, 2009 13459