Molecular catalysis of the oxygen reduction at a polarised liquid-liquid interface.

Abstract: Purpose of the proposed research is to study by transient electrochemical and optical methods the catalysis of the oxygen reduction at the polarised liquid-liquid interfaces by metalloporphyrins (MP). Following issues will be addressed: (a) adsorption ofMP's at the interface, (b) interaction between molecular oxygen and the adsorbed MP, (c) mechanism and kinetics of the interfacial reduction of molecular oxygen catalysed by MP, (d) catalysis of oxygen reduction by MP incorporated in a layer of adsorbed phospolipid. In each of these issues, the attention will be paid to both the structural effects of the substitution on the porphine ring, and the effect of nature of the metal (Fe, Co, Cu). Results of this study will provide (a) a clarification of this new electrochemical phenomenon, which is first briefly described in this proposal, (b) an electrochemical model of chemical transformation of molecular oxygen in biological systems, and (c) kinetic data for application