Electrochemical study of hydroquinone adsorbed on gold

The objective of the present work was to study the behavior of hydroquinone adsorbed on gold as adsorbate and as an electrochemical reagent. For this, two cells were employed, one for adsorption, and the other electrochemical. Both were thermostatted at 25 °C. A solution of 0.5 M sulfiric acid or 1 M perchloric acid was introduced into each cell. The potentiodynamic behavior of the hydroquinone adsorbed on gold permitted the observation of three different types of adsorption: 1) formation of hydrogen bonds; 2) formation of the hydroquinone complex; and 3) sigma bonding. From this study it may be concluded that the hydroquinone adsorption is a slow process of substitution between adsorbed anions and solvent molecules adsorbed on the metal.