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The Chemical Educator

ISSN: 1430-4171 (electronic version)

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Abstract Volume 17 (2012) pp 083-085
DOI 10.1007/s00897122424a

Determining Surface Coverage of Self-Assembled Monolayers on Gold Electrodes

Alice H. Suroviec

Berry College, Department of Chemistry, PO Box 495016, Mount Berry, GA 30149. asuroviec@berry.edu
Received March 27, 2012. Accepted May 16, 2012.

Published: 8 June 2012

Abstract. This paper describes an junior/senior level undergraduate laboratory for analytical or physical chemistry that can be used to demonstrate how self-assembled monolayers (SAM) form and pack onto a surface. The laboratory experiment will also introduce students to electrochemical techniques, instrumentation and surface analysis techniques. The two-part experiment first uses chronocoulometry to determine the surface area of an electrode. The second part uses the area of the electrode in conjunction with a SAM to determine the surface coverage and packing of the SAM. The students learn to operate the potentiostat, clean and prepare gold electrodes, and use common electrochemical techniques.

Key Words: Laboratories and Demonstrations; analytical chemistry; physical chemistry

(*) Corresponding author. (E-mail: asuroviec@berry.edu)

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