The value of this equilibrium potential varies with the metal. On Pt(111), the value is 1.03 V (RHE), which is responsible for the large onset overpotential for ORR current. On Au(100), the cathode scan peak for OH* desorption is at 1.1 V (RHE) and the equilibrium potential should be close to 1.2 V (RHE). The higher value on Au(100) is partly due to the smaller OH* adsorption energy. Furthermore, as recently demonstrated in our AIMD simulations, hydrated OH -can be stabilized by the unusual type of hydrogen bond interaction OH -…Au, which also favors OH* desorption. The puzzle of the excellent ORR performance on Au(100) in the high potential 4e - ORR region is explained by the fact that OH* desorption is quite facile on Au(100), while the barrier for O-O* cleavage (R2) is just around 0.5 eV.