Electron Transfer Reactions at Passive Tin Electrodes

The kinetics of charge transfer between passive tin electrodes and solutions of have been studied in the p H range 7.5–10.0 and the temperature range 1°–50°C. The results have been analyzed on the basis of the quantum theories of electron transfer at oxide covered metal electrodes, and semi‐quantitative agreement between theory and experiment was found. The electrochemical behavior of passive tin ranges from almost metallic, for very thin films, to that typical of n‐type semiconductors, for thick films. Exchange current densities are, in all cases, much smaller than those measured on bare metal electrodes.