An Environmentally Friendly Electrochemical Method for Synthesis of Benzofuranoquinone Derivatives

Abstract

Electrochemical oxidation of catechols (1a—c) has been studied in the presence of 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphtoquinone (3b) in aqueous solutions, using cyclic voltammetry and controlled-potential coulometry. The results indicated that the electrochemically generated o-benzoquinones (2a—c) participate in Michael addition reaction with 3b to the corresponding benzofuranoquinones (8a—c, 10a—c). The electrochemical synthesis of these compounds has been successfully preformed at a carbon rod electrode with good yields using an environmentally friendly method.