The phenol, α-tocopherol, can be electrochemically oxidised in a -2e(-)/-H(+) process to form a diamagnetic cation that is long-lived in dry organic solvents such as acetonitrile and dichloromethane, but in the presence of water quickly reacts to form a hemiketal. Variable scan rate cyclic voltammetry experiments in acetonitrile with carefully controlled amounts of water between 0.010 M-0.6 M were performed in order to determine the rate of reaction of the diamagnetic cation with water. The water content of the solvent was accurately determined by Karl Fischer coulometric titrations and the voltammetric data were modelled using digital simulation techniques. The oxidation peak potential of α-tocopherol measured during cyclic voltammetry experiments was found to shift to less positive potentials as increasing amounts of water (0.01-0.6 M) were added to the acetonitrile, which was interpreted based on hydrogen-bonding interactions between the phenolic hydrogen atom and water. Several other phenols were examined and they displayed similar voltammetric features to α-tocopherol, suggesting that interactions of phenols with trace amounts of water were a common occurrence in acetonitrile. The H-bonding interactions of α-tocopherol with water were also examined via NMR and UV-vis spectroscopies, with the voltammetric and spectroscopic studies extended to include other coordinating solvents (dimethyl sulfoxide and pyridine).

At high altitudes, the corona discharge around a conductor surface is severe, and the induced audible noise (AN) is irritating; this is due to the low air density at high altitudes. Therefore, AN has become a crucial limiting factor in the design of ac power lines of 500 kV or higher at high altitudes. An investigation of the spectral characteristics of AN should help provide a greater understanding of corona noise; however, only a few studies have investigated the spectral characteristics of AN in practical bundled conductors at high altitude. Therefore, it is difficult for power utility companies to select suitable conductors. In this study, the AN spectral characteristics of 6 × LGJ400, 6 × LGJ720, and 8 × LGJ500 bundled conductors were investigated using an ultra‐high‐voltage corona cage (8 × 8 × 35 m) in Xining, Qinghai Province (altitude: 2261 m). The AN equivalent A‐weighted level and the 1/3‐octave frequency characteristics of these three conductors were obtained, and the influence of the electric field (E‐field) on these characteristics was analysed. Subsequently, the relationship between the AN A‐weighted level and the 8‐kHz level was examined. We found that, with the increase of the E‐field, the low‐frequency components of AN level did not exhibit an obvious trend, but in the high‐frequency band (1.6–20 kHz), a clear positive correlation was observed between the spectrum level and E‐field strength. Among these three conductors, the 8 × LGJ500 conductor was the optimal conductor for reducing the AN levels at high altitude. The results obtained in this study can provide a data reference for the construction of high‐altitude ac power lines.

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