文摘
In divided flow-through cells, reductive electrolysis of Orange II (1) was first order in both substrate andapplied current and gave the products of reductive cleavage at the azo linkage in essentially quantitativeyield. Oxidative electrolysis was also pseudo-first-order and led to mineralization. At a boron-doped diamondanode, the rate of disappearance of 1 closely tracked the loss of total organic carbon from solution. In undividedcells oxidation and reduction occurred simultaneously; under acidic conditions the reduction products (anilines)were rather persistent because they were present as ammonium ions, but under alkaline conditions the anilineswere mineralized along with the starting material. When chloride ion was present in the supporting electrolyte,electrochemical oxidation afforded hypochlorite, and the disappearance of 1 proceeded by way ofhypochlorination.