Controlled decomposition of SF6 by electrochemical reduction

Sébastien Bouvet; Bruce Pégot; Stéphane Sengmany; Erwan Le Gall; Eric Léonel; Anne-Marie Goncalves; Emmanuel Magnier

doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.244

Controlled decomposition of SF₆ by electrochemical reduction

Beilstein J Org Chem. 2020 Dec 1:16:2948-2953. doi: 10.3762/bjoc.16.244. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Sébastien Bouvet¹, Bruce Pégot¹, Stéphane Sengmany², Erwan Le Gall², Eric Léonel², Anne-Marie Goncalves¹, Emmanuel Magnier¹

Affiliations

¹ Université Paris-Saclay, UVSQ, CNRS, UMR 8180, Institut Lavoisier de Versailles, 78035 Versailles Cedex, France.
² Electrosynthèse, Catalyse et Chimie Organique, Université Paris-Est Créteil, CNRS, ICMPE, UMR 7182, 2 rue Henri Dunant, 94320 Thiais, France.

Abstract

The electroreduction of SF₆ is shown at ambient temperature in acetonitrile using an array of platinum microelectrodes to improve the electrical detection. Its half reduction potential occurs at -2.17 V vs Fc⁺/Fc. The exact number of electrons for the full consumption of sulfur hexafluoride was determined and this gas further quantitatively transformed into environmentally benign fluoride anion and sulfur by electrochemical reduction.

Keywords: electroreduction; fluoride anion; redox potential; sulfur hexafluoride.

Grants and funding

S.B. thanks the French Ministry of Research for a Ph.D. grant. The Rhodia-Solvay company is gratefully acknowledged for the gift of sulfur hexafluoride. The French Fluorine Network (GIS Fluor) is acknowledged for financial support.