Portugaliae
Electrochimica Acta

An outline of a document with a basic vocabulary used in electrochemical industries is indicated following an historical development with references to sources where it would be properly explained. The objective would be to avoid having to include "definitions" on elementary concepts in CEN and ISO standards. The inadequacy of those definitions in standards is indicated and the present approach is justified.

The quantity pH=lg aH is immeasurable, as it involves a single ion activity. The IUPAC recommendations for the pH scale for aqueous solutions are based on the Bates-Guggenheim convention for the calculation of the chloride ion activity coefficient. The idea of this convention, intended to be applied to ionic strength not higher than 0.1 mol kg"1, was to impart pH with as much fundamental meaning as possible while recognising that it is conventionally based. The Pitzer theory, involving ionic specific interactions, may be applied in the calculation of single ion activity coefficients at ionic strengths higher than 0.1 mol kg"1. This approach has the merit that all possible known buffers, with or without background electrolyte, and those yet to be developed, can be assigned pH values.

The effect of 4(2-pyridyl)-l-benzaldehyde-3-thiosemicarbazone derivatives towards the corrosion of iron in 1M HC1 solution at 303K was investigated. Potentiodynamic and weight loss measurements show that compounds under investigation act as effective inhibitors for the corrosion of iron in 1 M HC1. The results show that these compounds behave as mixed type inhibitors. The corrosion rate was found to be a function of the nature and concentration of the inhibitors. The adsorption of the compounds on the iron surface is found to obey Temkin's adsorption isotherm.

The electrokinetic behaviour of aqueous suspensions of naturally occurring clays with different mineralogical composition is reported as a function of pH and electrolyte concentration. The results indicate that the clay particles carry a net negative charge in the examined pH range. The estimated zeta (Q potential values have been interpreted in terms of the composition and structural characteristics of the clay minerals, nature and charge of the particle surfaces and properties of the electric double layers developed at the clay/electrolyte solution interface. The  potential values of the clays obtained using microelectrophoresis and electroosmosis techniques have also been compared.

Justifica-se a necessidade de compreender bem os fundamentos da electroquímica para entender e consequentemente resolver adequadamente os problemas da protecção contra a corrosão.

The potentialities and limitations of electrochemical methods in the study of trace metal speciation in natural waters will be focused, as well as the factors influencing the voltammetric signal, with a special emphasis on the diffusion coefficient of labile macromolecular systems. Some applications of voltammetric techniques to the speciation of trace metals in natural samples are presented, namely with humic matter, estuary and seawaters.

A procedure for the quantitative analysis of mixtures of acids, based in the treatment of data of potentiometric pH titrations by multivariate chemometric calibration methods, is presented. Experimentally, the procedure consists in the titration of a set of mixtures of acids similar to the sample, but with known concentration of the components, which constitute the calibration set. A two step data analysis procedure is used for the development of calibration models: (i) the raw titration curves are adjusted to a polynomial equation of the fifth degree and the inverted titration curves are obtained (volume as function of the pH); (ii) the inverted titration curves are used to develop calibration models, using multivariate chemometric methods like partial least squares and artificial neural networks which can deal with some non-linearity in the basic inverted model. The results showed that adequate predictions of the concentration of the acids of the mixture are obtained.

The incorporation of metals in organic conducting polymers by electroless deposition is demonstrated for Ni-P on electropolymerized polyaniline films. The creation of starting catalytic conditions for effective nickel electroless deposition is discussed and the influence of the electropolymerization conditions on the metal particles dispersion is analysed. Nickel electroless deposition has been carried out on polymer films built up to various thicknesses in order to produce several metallic contents and / or different sized Ni-P particles. The so-obtained modified electrodes have been characterised including its redox behaviour.

The electrochemical behaviour of Vitamin BI2 derivatives with cobalt (III) complex and containing an alkyl chain with a peripherical pyrrole group is analysed by cyclic voltammetry. Adsorption of the derivatives under oxidised and reduced forms appears to allow the oxidation of the pyrrole group with concomitant polymer film formation. The length of the alkyl chain has been seen to play an important role on the polymer properties namely on its conductivity and thus on the possibility of thickening the film. Although a relatively high potential is required for the adequate monomer oxidation the electropolymerization of these new monomers can be envisaged for modified electrodes preparation.

Estudou-se a influência do ião Fe2' na biocorrosão de um aço macio, na presença e na ausência de bactérias redutoras de sulfato (SRB). Os estudos foram realizados por voltametria cíclica, curvas de polarização de estado quasi-estacionário e perda de massa. Os resultados indicaram que o aço é mais susceptível à corrosão quando o ião Fe2+ está presente no meio.

The performance of an ion selective electrode array (ISEAR), designed for the determination of benzoate in the presence of iodide, constituted by all-solid-state electrodes with Aliquat 336 S or tetraocrylammonium salts immobilised in PVC membranes, is described. The response of the ISEAR to both ions was obtained by two treatments: (i) calculation by non-linear least squares (NLS) of the parameters of a model based on the Nikolskii-Eisenmann equation; and (ii) principal components regression (PCR). The results are compared and discussed. Results obtained in the determination of benzoate in pharmaceutical formulations containing iodide are included.

This session intends to celebrate the 5t n anniversary of the Portuguese Electrochemical Society by presenting an account on the establishment of the electrochemistry as a science and on its development at the Portuguese Universities, as well as a reference on the role of that society on the evolution of this science within the Portuguese scientific community. The former aspects will be presented by the invited speakers, whereas the latter are considered now, in the opening of the session.

The electrochemical properties of phenazopyridine hydrochloride (pyridium) were studied at different pH values in Britton-Robinson buffer solutions by differential pulse and direct current polarography, square wave and cyclic voltammetry, controlled potential coulometry techniques. Polarographic reduction of pyridium takes place in a single 4-electron transfer, giving a diffusion-controlled irreversible wave in the pH range 2.00¬10.50. At high pH values (pH 11.00-12.00), reduction of the compound exhibits a single, 2-electron diffusion-controlled reversible wave. A possible mechanism has been suggested on the basis of the number of electrons involved in the reduction process.

New surfaces more resistant to corrosion were produced by ion implantation of W and Ta into aluminium targets. The thermodynamic limitations associated with the low solubility of the solutes were overcome thus increasing the alloying element concentrations to levels necessary to achieve improved corrosion performance. Studies were conducted in solutions of varying acidity, suggested by the E-pH diagrams of the substrate and the alloying elements. The electrochemical results in acid environments (pH 0.5 to 3.0) revealed that passivation of the implanted alloys is pH dependent. The film suffers degradation with Ta dissolution after several polarization cycles. There is no apparent indication of W dissolution according to the polarization characteristics shown by pure W at the same pH. In near neutral chloride solutions, the implanted alloy with higher concentration of the alloying elements showed a marked protective character. A displacement of the pitting potential, Ep, related to aluminium greater than 1.5 V (SCE), was observed. The role of Ta seems to be twofold, contributing to the enrichment of the film in Ta2C>5 and acting as a reservoir of solute to be oxidized under occluded cell conditions whilst the role of W seems to be in agreement with the solute rich interphase model, that implies local passivation of a pit due to the stability of oxidized solute in localized low pH conditions.

Famotidine is an electroactive and a surface-active compound which can be irreversibly reduced at a mercury electrode in moderate acidic media at the potential of about -1.20 V vs Ag/AgCl (KC1 sat.). Square-wave voltammetry of this reaction can be utilised for a quantitative determination of the drug.

This paper describes the development of a technique for evaluating the transference number of mobile species in polymer electrolytes. The procedure used originates in a modified Hittorf method [1] with the application of an appropriate cell configuration, electrolyte support, assembly strategy and analytical method. In accordance with the convention applied to poly(ethylene oxide) based polymer electrolytes, the value of n indicates the number of repeat units of the polymer per guest salt cation in an electrolyte composition given by EOnLiC104. Measurements were carried out on the system based on poly(ethylene oxide), PEO, and lithium perchlorate, with compositions of n between 5 and 100.

Polymer electrolytes based on a poly(ethylene oxide) host with trivalent cation guest species have been prepared by the solvent casting method and characterised by conductivity measurements and thermal analysis. Electrolytes with compositions in the range of n between 5 and 120 were found to behave in a manner similar to that previously observed with lanthanum trifluoromethanesulphonate based systems. The total ionic conductivity of these materials is close to other trivalent cation based systems (approximately 10"3 Q. cm-1) and, as expected, the thermal stability of the electrolyte is limited by the presence of the perchlorate anion.