Anodic oxidation and molecular structure: influence on performance of normal saturated hydrocarbons in fuel cells

Variation in the rate of anodic oxidation of normal saturated hydro carbons (at current densities of half the maximum value or higher) with the carbon number parallels the variation in the rate of diffusion (in electrochemical equivalents) of the hydrocarbon through the electrolyte. This parallelism, not previously recognized, is consistent with the concept of diffusion-influenced anode eactions. The conditions under which this behavior is expected are presented.