Stoichiometry and mechanism of the cathodic reduction process for HCl dissolved in LiCI-KCl eutectic

Abstract

The electrochemical reduction of HCl dissolved in LiCl-KCl eutectic has been studied by linear sweep voltammetry and chronopotentiometry at a glassy carbon electrode. The dissolved HCl is found to be completely dissociated into protons and chloride ions, and the cathodic evolution of hydrogen proceeds by the two-step mechanism                              H⁺ + e ↔ H                              H + H ↔ H₂ The charge-transfer step is reversible and faster than the hydrogen atom combination reaction.