TEMPO-Mediated Paired Electrosynthesis of Ethylene Glycol from Formaldehyde and Methanol at High Current Densities
Wirtanen, Tom; Oksanen, Valtteri; Malinen, Kiia; Hu, Tao; Reznichenko, Alexander (2025-03-28)
Wiley-VCH Verlag
28.03.2025
Oksanen, V., Malinen, K., Hu, T., Reznichenko, A. and Wirtanen, T. (2025), TEMPO-Mediated Paired Electrosynthesis of Ethylene Glycol from Formaldehyde and Methanol at High Current Densities. ChemSusChem 2500123. https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202500123
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
© 2025 The Author(s). ChemSusChem published by Wiley-VCH GmbH. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons AttributionLicense, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium,provided the original work is properly cited.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
© 2025 The Author(s). ChemSusChem published by Wiley-VCH GmbH. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons AttributionLicense, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium,provided the original work is properly cited.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-202505093203
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-202505093203
Tiivistelmä
Abstract
Herein, a paired electrosynthesis of ethylene glycol from formaldehyde and methanol facilitated by TEMPO is reported. The use of TEMPO accentuates formaldehyde production at the anode, providing additional formaldehyde into the cathodic coupling process. The reaction is performed in water/methanol solution in a simple undivided cell using sulfuric acid-treated graphite electrodes with industrially feasible current densities between 300 and 350 mA cm−2. Other components of the reaction are sodium chloride which is used as a supporting electrolyte and tributylmethylammonium chloride which raises the current efficiency. With a slight modification in the reaction temperature and current density, the outcome can be tuned from high current efficiency toward higher chemical yields. The conditions of the batch reaction are successfully transferred to a continuous flow-cell arrangement. Mechanistic studies indicate the involvement of hydroxymethyl radicals in the electrolysis, and deuterium-labeling experiments show the partial conversion of methanol into formaldehyde and ethylene glycol.
Herein, a paired electrosynthesis of ethylene glycol from formaldehyde and methanol facilitated by TEMPO is reported. The use of TEMPO accentuates formaldehyde production at the anode, providing additional formaldehyde into the cathodic coupling process. The reaction is performed in water/methanol solution in a simple undivided cell using sulfuric acid-treated graphite electrodes with industrially feasible current densities between 300 and 350 mA cm−2. Other components of the reaction are sodium chloride which is used as a supporting electrolyte and tributylmethylammonium chloride which raises the current efficiency. With a slight modification in the reaction temperature and current density, the outcome can be tuned from high current efficiency toward higher chemical yields. The conditions of the batch reaction are successfully transferred to a continuous flow-cell arrangement. Mechanistic studies indicate the involvement of hydroxymethyl radicals in the electrolysis, and deuterium-labeling experiments show the partial conversion of methanol into formaldehyde and ethylene glycol.
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