Reduction of dicarbonyl compounds on a DME: Part VI. A comparative study of the electrochemical behaviour of aromatic dicarbonyl compounds

Polarographic and voltammetric studies have been carried out on the reduction of benzyl and acetylbenzoyl in a basic medium.The effect of pH, reactant concentration, drop time and ethanol content on the polarographic and kinetic parameters is shown. The occurrence of adsorption phenomena is inferred from C - E curves. The degree of adsorption decreases as the ethanol content increases. Tafel slopes and reaction orders have been obtained at potentials corresponding to the foot of the wave. On the basis of these experimental data, reduction mechanisms are proposed in the zone where Tafel's law is obeyed.The results obtained here and those corresponding to the acidic medium, together with those concerning phenylglyoxal and phenylglyoxylic acid reported in the literature, are thoroughly discussed. A parallelism in the electrochemical behaviour of these compounds is made evident.