Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Award Date

1965

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department / School

Physics

Abstract

Many theories have been proposed to yield a current-time relationship in Polarography. The most widely accepted is that of Matsuda. He assumes that the electrolyte can be separated into an inhomogeneous region about the mercury drop and a homogeneous region elsewhere. This assumption leads to a first order , nonlinear, ordinary differential equation directly solvable by substitution of a properly chosen series. But the series solution obtained is only a particular solution; for there exists, as one would expect, a family of solutions depending on a contrast of integration. In the literature, derivation of the diffusion equation has never been attacked from the standpoint that the diffusion processes are occurring with respect to the medium. The convection term in the accepted diffusion equation is introduced as a generalization to account for the growth of the mercury drop. This paper will show that the function describing the concentration of diffusing ions need not be broken up into two separate parts. Integration will be carried out an infinite distance rather than from the surface of the mercury drop out distance 0. The series solution is only one of many solutions. A solution obtained by using an experimental value for an initial 0 will compare favorably with experiment. Also, derivation of a diffusion equation based on diffusion with respect to the medium will be given.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Diffusion
Polarography
Matsuda theory

Description

Includes bibliographical references (page 38)

Format

application/pdf

Number of Pages

47

Publisher

South Dakota State University

Rights

In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-NC/1.0/

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