Current-potential relationships in the reduction of samarium and europium perchlorates in dimethylformamide at a dropping mercury electrode

Abstract

Quantitative information concerning the polarographic behaviour of samarium and europium perchlorate in dimethylformamide has been obtained and possible reasons for the experimental difficulties encountered are given. The Eu(III)/Eu(II) system has been investigated in detail and values of the kinetic parameters obtained indicate a fairly slow rate of electron transfer, of the same order as values found by other workers for europium(III) under aqueous conditions. Samarium has not been studied so thoroughly but it is anticipated that the rate of electron transfer is of the same order of magnitude as the europium value.