Electrochemical oxidation of several oxocarbon salts in N,N-dimethylformamide

The oxocarbon salts of croconic acid and its dicyanomethylene derivatives have been shown to undergo two consecutive reversible one-electron transfers in N,N-dimethylformamide to produce stable radical anions and the neutral croconates. Disproportion equilibrium constants were found to be quite small for all the crononate radical anions investigated. Following chemical reactions accompanied the second oxidation process of dicyanomethylene-substituted crononates. Substituent effects were shown to be ring position-independent and are discussed with respect to the unique resonance structure of the crononates.