Electrochemical study of β-nitrostyrene derivatives: Steric and electronic effects on their electroreduction

Abstract

The electrochemical reduction of a series of β-nitrostyrene and β-methyl-β-nitrostyrene derivatives by tast and differential pulse polarography and cyclic voltammetry over a wide pH range was studied. The reduction potentials are sensitive to the electronic properties of the para-substituent and to the substitution at Cβ. An increase in the electron-donor properties of the substituent at the para position makes the reduction potential more negative. On the other hand, the reduction potential shifts several tens of millivolts towards more negative potentials on going from β-nitrostyrene to β-methyl-β-nitrostyrene derivatives, due to the decrease in conjugation with the increase in the Cl-Cα torsion angle. A linear correlation between the calculated electronic barrier and the half-wave potential was observed. Furthermore, a linear correlation between the Hammett σp substituent constant and the half-wave potential also was observed, demonstrating that the electrochemical behaviour of thes