KHCO3 often use as electrolyte for Electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (ECRR). I am looking to find the answer that whether KHCO3 acts as a source of CO2 or not? Few recent literatures also show that KHCO3 acts as a source of CO2 without bubbling CO2 in the electrolyte.
During electrochemical CO2 reduction, it is the dissolved CO2, or CO2 from KHCO3 takes part in ECRR.
How to differentiate this ?
I really appreciate any help you can provide.
Muhammad Usman This is your second question you posted today in the same area. I answered "KHCO3 is a product of the reaction between KOH and CO2. It's a "natural" carrier of CO2."
Now you are asking "whether KHCO3 acts as a source of CO2 or not?"
Have you ever heard about indirect plagiarism?
Addition of KHCO3 to water creates the bicarbonate buffer. HCO3(-) is in equilibrium with CO2.
What about the indirect plagiarism?
KHCO3 is used as an electrolyte for electrochemical reduction of CO2, so that the continuous bubbling the electrolyte with CO2 maintains equilibrium with HCO3- as Yurii V Geletii mentioned.
Your answers are very helpful. Thank you dear Prof. Yurii V Geletii , Gudipati Neeraja Sinha Murad Ali .
Dear Prof. Usman
Greetings! In my opinion, HCO3- can't directly act as the source of CO2 during ECO2R. A study by Dunwell et al. proved that the CO2 (aq) produced from the bicarbonate via equilibrium exchange with dissolved CO2 (0.032M at STP), rather than the supplied CO2, is the primary source of carbon in the CO formed during ECO2R on Au electrodes by a combination of in situ spectroscopic, isotopic labeling, and mass spectroscopic studies.
Further, bicarbonate also can be reduced to formate without the presence of CO2 in the solution on the electrocatalyst surface. The best way to differentiate is to do an isotopic labelling ECO2R experiment.