Cyclic voltammetry electrosynthesis

Two aspects of porphyrin electrosynthesis will be discussed in this paper. The first is the use of controlled potential electroreduction to produce metal-carbon a-bonded porphyrins of rhodium and cobalt. This electrosynthetic method is more selective than conventional chemical synthetic methods for rhodium and cobalt metal-carbon complexes and, when coupled with cyclic voltammetry, can be used to determine the various reaction pathways involved in the synthesis. The electrosynthetic method can also lead to a simultaneous or stepwise formation of different products and several examples of this will be presented. 

The second type of porphyrin electrosynthesis discussed in this paper is controlled potential electrooxidation of a-bonded bis-alkyl or bis-aryl porphyrins of Ge(lV) and Si(IV). This electrooxidation results in formation of a-bonded mono-alkyl or mono-aryl complexes which can be isolated and characterized in situ. Again, cyclic voltammetry can be coupled with this method and will lead to an understanding of the various reaction pathways involved in the electrosynthesis. 

The electrogeneration of [(TPP)Co] from (TPP)Co, and the reaction of this species with CHjI can be followed by cyclic voltammetry as shown in Figures lc and Id. In the absence of any added reagent, there are two reversible reduction waves which occur at Ei/2 = 0.85 jind -1.86 V (see Figure lc). These are due to the formation of [(TPP)CoJ and [(TPP)Co]2-, where the second reduction has occurred at the porphyrin ir ring system. The first reduction of (TPP)Co is not reversible in the presence of CH3I, and occurs at Ep = -0.86 V (see Figure Id). A new reversible reduction also appears at Ej/2 = -1.39 V. This process is due to (TPP)Co(CHj) which is formed as shown by Equation 8. The formation of (TPP)Co(CHj) as the final product of the electrosynthesis was confirmed by spectroelectrochemical experiments which were carried out under the same experimental conditions(26). 

As discussed in Sects. 3.4 and 4.5, electrode processes coupled with homogeneous chemical reactions are very frequent and their study is of interest in many applied fields, such as organic electrosynthesis, ecotoxicity, biosciences, environmental studies, among others [15-17]. In this section, multipulse techniques (with a special focus on Cyclic Voltammetry) are applied to the study of the reaction kinetics and mechanisms of electrogenerated species. 

Before embarking on an electrosynthesis it is desirable to know the potential at which the desired reaction is expected to occur. That information can be obtained from electroanalytical techniques, such as polarography and cyclic voltammetry. ... 

From 1953, much research has been done on the electrochemical behavior of CDs and their inclusion complexes. It is known that the effect of CDs on electrochemical properties of the guest molecules can be used in potentiometry, polarography and voltametry, cyclic voltammetry and amperometry. The ability of CDs to bond, orient and separate molecules and to form inclusion complexes in solution or on modified electrodes can be utilized for electrocatalysis, electrosynthesis and electroanalysis [78]. 

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