Oxidations at copper electrodes: Part 3. A novel copper-catalysed oxidation of acetophenones

✍ Scribed by W. Boardman; G. Edwards; J.B. Lee; N.A. Hampson; K.I. Macdonald

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1971
• Weight: 150 KB
• Volume: 33
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-0728
• DOI: 10.1016/s0022-0728(71)80211-5

✦ Synopsis

The anodic behaviour of Group IB metals has been studied in these laboratories 1, and comparison made with the chemical behaviour of compounds and complexes of the same metals both as catalysts and oxidising agents 2.

Linear sweep voltametry of polycrystalline copper electrodes in NaOH solutions has shown that two major reaction peaks are observed in sweeping from the potential for the hydrogen evolution to that for the oxygen evolution reaction (Fig. ). These reactions have been identified as the formation of Cu(1) and Cu(11) oxides at the electrode.

The addition of certain organic compounds produces a third reaction peak that occurs at the onset of the oxygen evolution reaction (Fig. ). As the concen-