Organic electrosynthesis on a laboratory scale

• Published in: Electrochimica acta 1980-01, Vol.25 (5), p.515-519
• Main Authors: Manous̆ek, O., Volke, J., Hlavatý, J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0013-4686; 1873-3859
• DOI: 10.1016/0013-4686(80)87050-2

The significance of organic electrosynthesis on mercury electrodes both for laboratory scale preparations and for the interpretation of electrode mechanisms was described. The behaviour at a dropping mercury electrode was compared with that at a stationary hanging mercury drop and at a large-area stirred mercury electrode. The validity of Delahay's equation for the half-wave potential at a large-area stirred mercury electrode and Karp—Meites' equation for the difference between the half-wave potential at a dropping and a large-area stirred electrode was verified. (Scorbaminic acid is obtained electrolytically in a pure form and more easily than by a chemical reaction. In a similar way dehydroascorbic acid can be obtained in a considerably higher yield by anodic oxidation.) The inhibitory effects of the electrolysis products on the electrode mechanisms were described. These sometimes make an electrolytical preparation impossible. A new spherical electrolysis cell for preparative electrolysis and for recording iE curves with a large-area mercury electrode and with a dme was constructed. The value of s o can be varied from 10 −4 to 5 · 10 −4 s −1.