Clean Oxidation Reactions (IMAGE)
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“Electrochemistry can oxidize molecules with any oxidation potential, because the electrode voltage can be tuned or adjusted, or I can run the reaction in such a way that it adjusts itself. So I have tremendous versatility for doing things,” says Kevin Moeller, professor of chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis. Moreover, the byproduct of electrochemical oxidation is hydrogen gas, so this too is a clean process.Bit electrochemistry can be only as green as the source of the electricity. The answer is to use the cleanest possible energy, solar energy captured by photovoltaic cells, to run electrochemical reactions.
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David Kilper/WUSTL
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