Electrochemistry is a versatile, yet underutilized, method for performing reduction or oxidation during organic synthesis. The high cost of the power source typically used for these kinds of reactions is one of the major barriers preventing more synthetic chemists from trying electrochemical methods. The most common electrochemical device used for organic reactions is a research grade potentiostat, which has costs ranging from $2000 to over $10,000 USD. While some studies have demonstrated how low cost power supplies such as a phone charger or lantern battery can be used for electro-organic reactions, a comprehensive analysis of different power sources has not been done. In this work we evaluated a wide range of power supplies for electro-organic reactions and evaluated them both in terms of their effectiveness and ease of use. We found that all 7 of the different power sources were capable of performing the desired reaction to some extent, though the lowest cost systems generated high levels of contamination. Mid-range power supplies ($50-200) were found to provide the best balance between affordability, ease of use, and effectiveness for both mediated and unmediated electro-organic reactions.

Evaluation of different power supplies for electro-organic reactions

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.