Simultaneous Introduction of the Henderson-Hasselbalch Equation and Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer: An Undergraduate Laboratory Experiment

TCE

The Chemical Educator

ISSN: 1430-4171 (electronic version)

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Abstract Volume 19 (2014) pp 333-337

Simultaneous Introduction of the Henderson-Hasselbalch Equation and Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer: An Undergraduate Laboratory Experiment

Anwesha Jana^†, Debarati Roy Chowdhury^†, Archana Singh*^,‡, and Amit Paul*^,†

†Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Bhopal, MP, 462066, India, apaul@iiserb.ac.in; ‡Advanced Materials and Processes Research Institute (AMPRI), Bhopal, MP, 462064, India, archanas002@gmail.com
Received July 8, 2014. Accepted August 7, 2014.

Published: 20 November 2014

Abstract. The Henderson-Hasselbalch equation has received immense attention in the chemistry curriculum because of its role in teaching acid-base equilibrium. On the other hand, proton-coupled electron transfer is an important elementary step in which protons and electrons are transferred simultaneously or in a stepwise manner. Proton-coupled electron transfer plays a pivotal role in biology and energy related research. Immense interest for proton-coupled electron transfer in the current era provoked us to include this important concept at the undergraduate teaching curriculum. Herein, we present a simple undergraduate laboratory experiment based on phenol oxidation over a range of pH, utilizing the technique of cyclic voltammetry for simultaneous illustration of the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation and proton-coupled electron transfer.

Key Words: Laboratories and Demonstrations; electrochemistry; Henderson-Hasselbalch Equation; proton-coupled electron transfer; cyclic voltammetry; pH; pKa

(*) Corresponding author. (E-mail: apaul@iiserb.ac.in )

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