Electrocatalytic reduction of chromium(VI) by thionin: Electrochemical properties and mechanistic study

The electrochemical properties of aqueous thionin (an electroactive water soluble dye) of pH 1 - 12 were investigated by cyclic voltammetry at a boron doped diamond(BDD) electrode. A well defined reversible redox couple was observed in acidic, neutral and alkaline solutions. The standard potential and kinetic parameters for thionin were obtained by fitting experimental cyclic voltammograms to those generated by the DigiSirn program. The electrogenerated reduced form of thionin has been used as an efficient organic catalyst for the reduction of Cr(VI) at a BDD electrode immersed in aqueous media. The cyclic voltammetry measurements indicate that an electrocatalytic process occurs, where electrochemically generated thionin reduced species (Leucothionin) is oxidized by Cr(VI) back to the parent thionin species via a EC' reaction mechanism. The determination of catalytic rate constant (K-cat) was accomplished again by fitting experimental cyclic voltammograms with simulated ones.