Paired Electrolysis in the Simultaneous Production of Synthetic Intermediates and Substrates

In electrochemical processes, an oxidation half-reaction is always paired with a reduction half-reaction. Although systems for reactions such as the reduction of CO2 can be coupled to water oxidation to produce O2 at the anode, large-scale O2 production is of limited value. One may replace a low-val...

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Published inJournal of the American Chemical Society Vol. 138; no. 46; pp. 15110 - 15113
Main Authors Llorente, Mark J, Nguyen, Bichlien H, Kubiak, Clifford P, Moeller, Kevin D
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States American Chemical Society 23.11.2016
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Summary:In electrochemical processes, an oxidation half-reaction is always paired with a reduction half-reaction. Although systems for reactions such as the reduction of CO2 can be coupled to water oxidation to produce O2 at the anode, large-scale O2 production is of limited value. One may replace a low-value half-reaction with a compatible half-reaction that can produce a valuable chemical compound and operate at a lower potential. In doing so, both the anodic and cathodic half-reactions yield desirable products with a decreased energy demand. Here we demonstrate a paired electrolysis in the case of the oxidative condensation of syringaldehyde and o-phenylenediamine to give 2-(3,5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl)­benzimidazole coupled with the reduction of CO2 to CO mediated by molecular electrocatalysts. We also present general principles for evaluating current–voltage characteristics and power demands in paired electrolyzers.
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ISSN:0002-7863
1520-5126
DOI:10.1021/jacs.6b08667