Essential Definitions for Electroorganic Reactions

Fundamental criteria to evaluate the results of any organic synthesis are the yield , being the fraction of the entire supplied reactant, which has formed the product, and the selectivity , being the fraction of the converted reactant, which has been used to generate the product. 

In addition, the current efficiency ( current yield ) is typical for an electrolysis process, the fraction of the electrical cell current - or (integrated over the time) the fraction of the transferred charge - which is used to form the product. The theoretical charge transfer for one mol product is given by the Faraday constant F, the charge of one mol electrons, F = 96 485 As/mol = 26, 8 Ah/mol, multiplied by the number of transferred electrons. 

Of general importance for reactions is the degree of conversion (short conversion ), being the fraction of a reactant that has been removed because of the reaction. Because the concentrations of reactants are decreased and that of products increased with rising conversion, the selectivity of the desired reaction mostly becomes smaller during the course of the reaction owing to a decrease of the desired reaction of the reactants and enhancement of consecutive reactions of the products. 

If the reaction conditions are changing with time, (especially during batch operation, see Sect. 2.3.4), it is necessary for yield, selectivity, and current efficiency to distinguish between the actual values and the summarized (integrated) values from the start to the end of the reaction. 

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