Copper in Acid Chloride Solutions: Electrochemical Behavior by Quartz Microgravimetry and Voltammetry

The cathodic deposition of copper on a gold electrode and its subsequent anodic dissolution in an acid chloride solution, where two successive stages of a one-electron transfer are distinguishable because of the stability of chloride complexes of Cu(I), is studied by voltammetry and quartz microgravimetry. The formation of a film of an intermediate compound of Cu(I) during the deposition and dissolution of copper is revealed experimentally. Techniques for identifying the intermediate solid species are suggested. During a cathodic polarization, a film of intermediate compound CuCl forms at a reduced concentration of chloride ions in the Cu(II)/Cu(I) process, while during the anodic dissolution of the copper deposit formed during the cathodic polarization the intermediates appear in the Cu(0)/Cu(I) process, the concentration of chloride ions notwithstanding. The change in the electrochemical behavior of the system caused by a decrease in the concentration of chloride ions is explained.