Electrochemical Oxidation of Catechols (=Benzene-1,2-diols) in the Presence of Benzoylacetonitrile: Synthesis of New Derivatives of 5,6-Dihydroxybenzofuran
The electrochemicaloxidation of catechol (=benzene‐1,2‐diol; 1a) and some of its derivatives in H2O/MeCN 1 : 1 containing benzoylacetonitrile (=β‐oxobenzenepropanenitrile; 3) as a nucleophile was studied by cyclic voltammetry and controlled‐potential coulometry. The voltammetric data showed that electrochemically generated o‐benzoquinones (=cyclohexa‐3,5‐diene‐1,2‐diones) fromcatechol (1a) and 3‐methylcatechol