Hydrogen oxidation on gold electrode in sulphuric acid solution

The aim of this work is to study the electrochemical oxidation of Hydrogen on gold electrodes in sulphuric acid solution and to compare the results with those obtained in a similar study in perchloric acid solution. In both electrolytes, the reaction is irreversible because the atomic H, which appears as reaction intermediate, diffuses inside of the metal. The reactive is introduced in two ways: by electrolysis at a cathodic potential during different times and by saturating the solution with the gaseous reactive. During the cathodic electrolysis the different crystalline planes of the surface reconstruct and this feature has an influence on the reaction kinetics. The catalytic influence of the incipient hydrous gold oxide on the H electrooxidation is also shown. The presence of sulphate and perchlorate ions leads to unlike voltamperometric profiles in the double layer charging potential region. A gold compound is formed during the metal treatment and an attempt has been done to identify it with FTIR.