ABSTRACT
Surfaces of flame-annealed gold single-crystal electrodes are reconstructed in very much the same way as those gold surfaces heated in an ultrahigh vacuum chamber. The electrochemical conditions are given under which a reconstructed gold surface is stable in contact with an aqueous solution. A potential-induced surface reconstruction (in contrast to the thermally induced one) is shown, and its consequences for electrochemical studies with gold electrodes are demonstrated. Charge- and adsórbate-driven structural transitions between reconstructed and unreconstructed surfaces, which can be initiated by potential changes, are presented. Finally, the electrochemical properties of reconstructed gold surfaces are briefly discussed.
