Electrochemical Oxidation of Acetaminophen and 4-(Piperazin-1-yl)phenols in the Presence of 4-Hydroxy-1-methyl-2(1H)-quinolone

A facile and one-pot electrochemical method for the synthesis of mono and disubstituted 1,4-benzoquinones generated from the electrochemical oxidation of 1-(4-(4-hydroxyphenyl) piperazin-1-yl)ethanone (1a), 4-(piperazin-1-yl)phenol (1b) and acetaminophen (8) in the presence of 4-hydroxy-1-methyl-2(1H)-quinolone (3) as nucleophile was reported. The results revealed that the electrochemically generated electrophiles derived from the oxidation of 1a, 1b and 8 participate in Michael-addition reactions with 3. In this work, we report the synthesis of mono and diquinolone substituted of 1,4-benzoquinone in good yields based on controlled potential condition at carbon electrode in a divided cell. (C) 2012 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/2.037301jes] All rights reserved.