National Research Development Corporation

Christopher J King

Francis Goodridge

Martin Fleischmann

A method of carrying out an electrochemical reaction comprises setting up a fluidized bed of particles at least some of which have at least their surfaces conducting or semi-conducting, using upwardly flowing liquid electrolyte, with or without reactant liquid, for the purpose, and applying a voltage gradient across at least a portion of said fluidized bed of particles, the size of particles, the conductivity of and rate of flow of the said electrolyte and/or reactant liquid and the voltage gradient being such that not only are anodic and cathodic faces established in respect of each of some of the at least partly conducting particles but the electropotentials on said faces on substantially each bipolar particle are such that said electrochemical reaction takes place on at least some of said bipolar particles but only on one portion of the surfaces thereon of said particles. The said bipolar particles which, preferably, are spherical or cylindrical may comprise solid conducting or semi-conducting material or cores of non-conducting material with coatings of conducting or non-conducting material thereon. The said method may be, for example, the electrolysis of sea water for the production of hypochlorite or of bromide solution for the production of hypobromite or the decarboxylation of monomethyl adipate to dimethyl sebacate.

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Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom

Christopher J King