The Electrochemical Reduction of Meta‐Dinitrobenzene in Dimethylsulfoxide

Abstract

The electrochemical reduction of meta‐dinitrobenzene (m‐DNB) in solutions of dimethylsulfoxide was studied on platinum electrodes. The rotating disk electrode and the potential step technique were used. The diffusion coefficient of m‐DNB in the electrolyte solution was found to be cm2/sec. The kinematic viscosity of the test solutions was also determined. The electrochemical reduction in the absence of a proton donor takes place in two steps which correspond to the formation and reduction of the m‐DNB radical anion. When a proton donor is added, homogeneous reaction takes place with the radical anion in the solution near the electrode resulting in an effective increase in the number of electrons transferred to four. This corresponds to the reduction to m‐nitrophenylhydroxylamine.