Electrochemical investigations of thymine and thymidine in 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium tetrafluoroborate ionic liquids at room temperature

Abstract

The electrochemical reduction of thymine (T) and thymidine (Thy) in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ionic liquid at room temperature is investigated using cyclic voltammetry (CV). The CV of thymine shows one-electron reduction peak at − 0.67 V vs Fc/Fc+, while thymidine exhibited two reduction peaks corresponding to − 1.54 V and at − 2.06 V vs Fc/Fc+. The difference in the reduction peaks of thymine and thymidine observed suggests a single-step and two-step reductions, respectively. The experimental voltammogram was convoluted for the the estimation of diffusion coefficient, charge transfer coefficient, kinetics, and energetics of thymine and thymidine. The theoretical prediction using semi-integral technique suggests that thymidine at the reduction peak − 1.54 V vs Fc/Fc+ proceeds a one-electron reductive cleavage of N–C glycosidic bond (nitrogen–carbon) via concerted dissociative electron-transfer mechanism while thymine.