Alcohol splitting in a bipolar membrane and analysis of the product

The current-voltage characteristics of bipolar membrane/LiCl + alcohol systems were measured and compared with those of the LiCl + water system. In this study, methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, ethylene glycol and propylene glycol were examined and lithium chloride was employed as an electrolyte. The current-voltage curves suggested that the dissociation into the cation and the anion had occurred also in the methanol system in the interface between the anion exchange and cation exchange layers. The product in the anion exchange layer side was analyzed in the LiCl + methanol system to prove the generation of lithium methoxide. In addition, the difference in the current-voltage characteristics in the other LiCl alcohol systems, compared with the LiCl + methanol system, and the effect of water as an impurity were discussed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.