Electrochemical reactivity of homocysteine at mercury electrodes as compared with cysteine.

Homocysteine differs from cysteine in electrochemical behaviour due to slight differences in hydrophobicity and in structure of their complexes with metals. This shows in adsorptivity, in anodic reactions with mercury, in catalytic reductions of oxygen mediated by mercurous thiolates and of thiol-cobalt(II) complexes, but most markedly in catalytic evolution of hydrogen from solutions containing cobalt ions.