Gold modification by reduction of a diazonium salt prepared from an aliphatic diamine: a new useful means to remove hazardous substances

We studied the electrochemical reduction based on gold electrode of a diazonium salt prepared from ethylenediamine. This is the first time where the covalent functionalization on the gold electrode of an alkyldiazonium salt, 2-aminoethane-1-diazonium chloride, is demonstrated. This step requires the preparation beforehand by diazotization of one amine group from ethylenediamine. The resulting electrodeposited ethylamine film was confirmed by spectroscopic characterizations from gold surface modification monitored by electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) coupled to cyclic voltammetry (CV). The development of chemosensors based on such a covalent functionalization of a metal can reduce the chemical threats to human health along with drastically removing contaminants according to the green chemistry principles.