Reporting your Reactor Conditions
You've found the reaction that is going to get you the Nobel prize, now you need to accurately report it! There are many factors at play in an electrochemical reactor - you can explore these further on our page about reactor design, but we've worked hard to bring you a reactor where the crucial factors are well controlled and easily quantifable. This will help when it comes to that all important reporting of reactions and conditions.
Reporting parameters
Reaction Volume (ml)
Bottle
Electrode width (mm)
Fluid depth (mm)
Depth of immersed electrode (mm)
Facing surface area per electrode (mm2)
| Property | Output | Comment | How ElectroReact Helps |
| Electrodes | |||
| Material | Chemical composition | The electrode may be inert or may be part of the reaction scheme . The chemical purity of the electrode is important (for example stainless steel is a mixture of metals perhaps with one preferentially being involved within the reaction, or coated electrodes may have porosity or even larger defects which means the underlying metal is inadvertantly part of the reaction scheme). | Regulated and stated purity of electrodes supplied. With ElectroReact you can use foils on a custom designed foil holder or supply your own electrodes |
| Wetted surface area | m2 | The current you supply passes through the surface of electrode in contact with the fluid. This, together with the rate of electron flow can indicate the current density - essentially the rate of electron transport. The rate of electron addition, together with the hydrodynamics (e.g. mixing) may influence the reaction - if your intended reactant has not been transported to this zone, you may get unintended reaction pathways. | Controlled and specified relationship between volume, position of electrode and geometry of cell - use our handy modeller to give you this information! |
| Spacing | m | As with the wetted surface area, the gap between the electrodes is an important parameter to control as it affects the resistance of the circuit, and the relationship between voltage and current. | ElectroReact has a fixed gap of 6mm between the electrodes, whatever the thickness and whatever the material (solid or foils) |
| Electrical Conditions | |||
| Mode of operation: Constant current or constant voltage | amps or volts | You can run your reaction under either mode - by running under constant current you know how many equivalents of electrons you have supplied, whilst running under constant voltage prevents over-voltage at the electrode surface | |
| Time of operation (reaction time) | s | Indicates the time you ran the reaction for. | We've created custom modellers to help you estimate this |
| Value: Starting current / starting voltage | volts or amps | The mixture of reactants at the start of the reaction will have a resistance. If you are running in constant current, then report the starting voltage, if running in constant voltage then report the starting current. The resistance depends on electrode area, spacing and starting compounds, and will change over the course of the reaction. However, if you are running the same reaction, it can be a useful indicator that the conditions at the start are accurate. | |
| Value: End current or voltage | volts or amps | Can help establish if an over-/under- voltage event has occurred. | |
| Chemicals | |||
| Reactants and other compounds | Chemical species, concentrations | The reagents to take part in REDOX events, solvents and additional electrolytes if needed. | ElectroReact ensures your reaction is gastight - ensuring purity is maintained (e.g. absence of gases) |
| Concentration | mol/L | Ideally all your compounds will be in solution. A more concentrated solution will require a longer reaction time as more electrons will be required. | |
| Volume | m3 | Effects the wetted surface area (ie depth of immersion of electrode) | ElectroReact has a fixed geometry - so known relationship |
| Additional Factors | |||
| Mixing | Transport to and from electrode surface - see wetted surface area above | Sitting in fixed positions and on top of a stirrer hotplate means you can easily report (and repeat) the stirrer speed on ElectroReact. | |
| Headspace | Gas transport in and out; control of reaction conditions | ElectroReact is gas-tight with a range of options to control the headspace | |
| Temperature | Influences reactions | Easy to control in ElectroReact as it sits on a block that fits on standard stirrer-hotplates. | |
| Geometry of reactor | m | Diameter, electrode size, electrode position, mixer position | The defined geometry of ElectroReact ensures contol of these factors |