Abstract

An investigation was made of possible ways in which one could control the relative rates of cadmium deposition and hydrogen evolution by binary additive systems. Benzyl alcohol was employed as an additives due to its ability to form a hydrophobic film which inhibit the electroreduction of water to form hydrogen. The second additive was chosen to make the cadmium(II) ion less hydrophilic and increase its ability to cross the hydrophobic benzyl alcohol film and be electrodeposited at the cathode. It was shown by voltammetric and current efficiency studies that ion pairing and complexing additives could be used to accelerate the reduction of cadmium in the presence of the benzyl alcohol film. It was also shown that the benzyl alcohol film lowered the dielectric constant of the solution near the electrode enough to obtain ion pairing between the sodium ion and the negative chloride complex of cadmium and accelerate the reduction of the cadmium. This acceleration did not occur in the sulfate solution in the absence of chloride since cadmium(II) is primarily present as a positive aquo complex and ion pairing, if it occured, would not accelerate but would hinder reduction of cadmium.