Electrochemical conversion of 2-hydroxybiphenyl to 2-phenyl-1,4-benzoquinone(PhQ) and scaling-up

An extensive study on the electrochemical oxidation of 2-PhPhOH under various conditions has been carried out. The effect of non-aqueous and aqueous media, different anode and cathode materials, different substrate concentration and current densities, potentiostatic and galvanostatic conditions, different membranes and electrolytes, etc., has been investigated. The goal was to prepare the titled compounds exclusively from 2-PhPhOH and in high yields. The promising bench results (up to 87% of PhQ) allowed the scaling-up of the anodic electrochemical process by more than two orders of magnitude, from 0.34 to 90 gr. The effect of the various parameters on the process and the general mechanistic scheme for the formation of products are discussed.