Anodic Oxidation of Methanol at Palladium Electrode in Alkaline Solution

Carbonate formation from methanol at active palladium electrodes was confirmed in alkaline solution by measuring current‐voltage curves for methanol and other related compounds and by determining the oxidation products formed at the test electrode. The current efficiency in the anodic oxidation was observed to be over 80% in the current density range from 20 to 400 mamp/cm 2 . A probable mechanism was proposed for the oxidation reaction by determining the electrochemical reaction order ( z ). The z values obtained for methanol and hydroxide ion were 1/3 and 2/3, respectively. The activation process of the transfer reaction was considered to be the oxidation of methoxy radical by hydroxide ion.