Influence of the nature of the substrate and of operative parameters in the electrocarboxylation of halogenated acetophenones and benzophenones

Abstract The electrocarboxylation of halogenated acetophenones and benzophenones to the corresponding hydroxycarboxylic acids has been carried out in undivided cell equipped with aluminium sacrificial anode and using 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) as the solvent. The radical anion generated by the electro-reduction of the aromatic ketone is involved in several competitive reactions which lead to the formation of the target hydroxycarboxylic acid, the corresponding alcohol and pinacol and the de-halogenated parent ketone. If sufficiently negative working potentials are imposed, the latter is reduced to the corresponding carboxylate, pinacol and alcohol. Very different results in terms of sel…