Electrochemical reduction of dodecylpyridinium bromide in aprotic solvents: Mechanistic studies

Reduction mechanism of 1-dodecylpyridin-1-ium bromide (DPBr) in dimethylsulfoxide has been studied on mercury electrode. Based on the classical polarographic methods as well as on the use of AC techniques it was shown that DPBr is reduced in a reversible one electron transfer step followed by dimerization of the corresponding radical species. Reduction process is accompanied by the adsorption phenomena even in the non-aqueous solvents. Possible modes of DPBr adsorption have been studied by the ex situ scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) imaging of these molecules on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite.