Electrochemical steps
are increasingly attractive for
green chemistry.
Understanding reactions at the electrode–solution interface,
governed by kinetics and mass transport, is crucial. Traditional insights
into these mechanisms are limited, but our study bridges this gap
through an integrated approach combining voltammetry, electrochemical
impedance spectroscopy, and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.
This technique offers real-time monitoring of the chemical processes
at the electrode–solution interface, tracking changes in intermediates
and products during reactions. Applied to the electrochemical reduction
of oxygen catalyzed by the iron(II) tetraphenyl porphyrin complex,
it successfully reveals various reaction intermediates and degradation
pathways under different kinetic regimes. Our findings illuminate
complex electrocatalytic processes and propose new ways for studying
reactions in alternating current and voltage-pulse electrosynthesis.
This advancement enhances our capacity to optimize electrochemical
reactions for more sustainable chemical processes.