Chemical displacements at solid interfaces. Easy cathodic reduction of alkyl bromides in the presence of iodide ions at palladized surfaces

Electrochemical immobilization of a benzylic film through the reduction of benzyl halide derivatives: deposition onto highly ordered pyrolytic graphite

The reactivity of electrogenerated benzyl radicals at carbon surfaces was examined through the cathodic reduction of the corresponding bromide derivatives. 4-Nitrobenzyl bromide and benzyl bromide were reduced in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) on highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surfaces. Electroproduced films were examined using electrochemistry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Experiments show the formation of strongly adherent deposits and the occurrence of electrografting processes. They are based on radical generation and the reaction of the radical with the substrate. As expected, the thickness of the organic film increases with deposition time but the deposit displays a lower compactness than previously reported for the electroreduction of aryl diazonium salts. Interestingly for benzyl derivatives, the reduction potential required for the electrografting could be rendered much more positive by simply using an iodide-type supporting electrolyte.

Dissociative electron transfer to organic chlorides: electrocatalysis at metal cathodes

The reductive cleavage of a series of organic chlorides, including chloroaromatics, benzyl chlorides, activated chloroalkanes and polychloromethanes, was investigated at Ag, Cu, Pd and glassy carbon (GC) electrodes in CH(3)CN + 0.1 M (C(2)H(5))(4)NClO(4). The silver cathode was either a 2-mm diameter disc, fabricated from Ag wire, or nanoclusters of average diameter d = 304 nm, prepared by electrodeposition on GC. Ag, Cu and Pd electrodes have shown remarkable electrocatalytic properties for the reduction of several compounds. The peak potentials recorded at these electrodes, for example, at upsilon = 0.1 V s(-1) are positively shifted by 0.3-0.8 V with respect to the reduction potentials measured at a non catalytic electrode such as GC. Electrocatalysis is strictly related to the concerted nature of the dissociative electron transfer to the carbon-chlorine bond. No catalysis is observed when the dissociative electron transfer to RCl occurs according to a stepwise mechanism involving the intermediate formation of a radical anion. The catalytic surfaces affect the reaction scheme, offering a more favourable route possibly through the formation of strongly adsorbed activated complexes.