In this master’s thesis, I present some electrochemical methods that can be applied for the synthesis of pinacol and its derivatives. I focused on the construction and use of an undivided electrolysis cell by utilizing easily obtainable materials and cost-effective power supply units, albeit they require some modifications before the eventual use. The next goal was to use the assembled cell and investigate which electrode materials enable pinacol bond formation between the chosen aldehydes or ketones. Another question was how to prepare an electrolyte that enables sufficient currents without negatively impacting the synthesis. I was also interested in the applied voltage potentials, how they influence the selectivity, and possibly foster side reactions. Reaction mixtures and products were characterized by TLC and spectroscopic methods (1H NMR, HRMS). The conclusion is that an undivided cell has only limited application, however, when used in conjunction with ordinary iron electrodes, it may still be successfully used to synthesize vicinal diols from aromatic aldehydes under mild conditions.
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