Journal of Applied Electrochemistry, Vol.25, No.7, 690-698, 1995
An Electrochemical Technique for the Reduction of Aromatic Nitrocompounds H2SO4 Medium on Thermally Coated Ti/TiO2 Electrodes
An outline of the recently developed preparative method for the electroreduction of aromatic nitrocompounds using thermally coated Ti/TiO2 electrodes in H2SO3 medium is presented. The method of preparation of stable and electrochemically active Ti/TiO2 electrode is described. Cyclic voltammetry indicates wide variations in the heterogeneous redox catalysis of different aromatic nitrocompounds. Weak adsorption blocking due to insoluble film formation, catalytic hydrogen evolution and strong pH sensitive reactant adsorption effects are illustrated. Optimum conditions for the preparative scale electroreduction of these nitrocompounds are presented. The yields and current efficiencies were uniformly high for all the nitrocompounds involved. In addition to heterogeneous redox catalysis active hydrogen generated at the electrode surface also probably acts as efficient reducing agent on the preparative time scale. Reuse of electrolyte and stability of electrodes during prolonged electrolysis are also reported.