Cyclic Voltammetric and Electrochemical Simulation on the Electro-Oxidation of Catechol in the Absence of Any Nucleophile: Original Research

Abstract

Electro-oxidation of catechol has been investigated in the absence of nucleophile. The studies were made using cyclic voltammetry on a glassy carbon electrode in aqueous solution containing phosphate buffer solution as supporting electrolyte. The electro-oxidation of catechol produces a very reactive intermediate, o-benzoquinone, which subsequently reacts with any nucleophile in 1, 4-Michael addition reaction to form the corresponding catechol derivative product. The main purpose of this investigation was to carry out a quantitative study of the electro-oxidation of catechol in aqueous solution and the kinetic data were extracted from cyclic voltammograms with the help of digital simulation software.

Keywords: Cyclic voltammetry, Catechol, benzoquinone