White Yeti
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Question about the SO·4- radical.
Hello all,
I've been carefully examining Wikipedia's reduction potential data table and I spent a lot of time boiling down the info into what I find a more
useful format. I separated the half reactions according to what element was being oxidised or reduced (instead of arranging the reactions according to
ascending reduction potentials). I eliminated certain element I knew I would not encounter any time soon (e.g. Au, As, Xe, La, Eu, Ra etc...).
I found one of the reactions both useful and accessible to the amateur:
S208(-2) +2e- ----> 2SO4(-2) +2.010V
This reaction has an incredible +2.01V reduction potential, just below ozone (+2.075V). I was considering using this anion as an oxidising agent in a
battery because it's conveniently available OTC and it doesn't need to be in the presence of acid (like permanganate and ferrate) in order to unleash
its oxidizing wrath.
Then I read about a use for persulphate in organic chemistry. It's heated together with an iron(II) salt to make the sulphate radical (SO·4-). This
radical is so oxidizing that it ranks right below fluorine gas in oxidizing power (+2.6V). The problem with using an iron catalyst is that it can
cause some side reactions to take place. These reactions waste persulphate and decrease battery life.
This is great and all, but I can't find any data on the longevity of sulphate radicals. I'm not even sure of persulphate decomposes to radicals simply
upon gentle heating.
Has anyone experimented with sulphate radicals? What kind of cathode material do I use for a battery that would use SO·4- as an oxidizer? I was
thinking of using graphite, but wouldn't such a reactive radical completely destroy graphite, despite its inertness? Should I just drop the idea of
using such a powerful oxidizer and go for persulphate instead?
I am open to any suggestions.
Thank you for reading.
[Edited on 10-20-2011 by White Yeti]
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SmashGlass
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Very interesting conceptually. I guess you could attempt incorporating
it into graphene and try to get yourself a Nobel prize, in 40 years or so...?
Not really my field of expertise. Sorry I couldn't contribute more.
Don't give up if you believe you can do something with it.
If it ain't broke don't fix it....
Now where are my screwdrivers?  |
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White Yeti
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Registered: 20-7-2011
Location: Asperger's spectrum
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Thanks! I'm not going to be rushing to the patents office any time soon, but this idea looks promising nonetheless. I wish I had some persulphate on
hand right now, so could try this out, but I don't have any left at the moment. I wasted my whole stock on another project :/
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