Alkene Epoxidation and Oxygen Evolution Reactions Compete for Reactive Surface Oxygen Atoms on Gold Anodes.

Rates and selectivities for the partial oxidation of organic molecules on reactive electrodes depend on the identity and prevalence of reactive and spectator species. Here, we investigate the mechanism for the epoxidation of 1-hexene (CH) with reactive oxygen species formed by electrochemical oxidation of water (HO) on gold (Au) in an aqueous acetonitrile (CHCN) electrolyte. Cyclic voltammetry measurements demonstrate that oxygen (O) evolution competes with CH epoxidation, and the Au surface must oxidize before either reaction occurs.

Dynamic Light Scattering Microrheology of Phase-Separated Poly(vinyl) Alcohol-Phytagel Blends.

In this investigation, we explored the microrheological characteristics of dilute hydrogels composed exclusively of Poly(vinyl) alcohol (PVA), Phytagel (PHY), and a blend of the two in varying concentrations. Each of these polymers has established applications in the biomedical field, such as drug delivery and lens drops. This study involved varying the sample concentrations from 0.