INFLUENCE OF THE BASE-ELECTROLYTE ANIONS ON THE REDUCTION-MECHANISM OF SULFUR-DIOXIDE IN SULFOLANE

Cyclic voltammetry was used to study the cathodic reduction behavior o f sulfur dioxide at smooth platinum electrodes in sulfolane with lithi um and quaternary ammonium salts as the base electrolytes. The exchang e currents and transfer coefficients for the electrochemical reduction of SO2 were calculated from the initial sections of the voltammograms . It was shown that the base-electrolyte anions markedly influence the mechanism of electrochemical sulfur dioxide reduction, even though th ey are not directly involved in this process.