Electrochemical oxidation of glucose to glucarate using TEMPO as a mediator in an alkaline solution

Abstract

The TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxyl)-mediated electrochemical oxidation of glucose at + 0.6 V gave glucarate as a main product when the concentration ratios of glucose to TEMPO (2 mM) were roughly 1 to 10 with a current efficiency of > ca. 50% using a glassy carbon electrode in a 1 M NaOH solution, in which TEMPO showed a reversible one-electron redox reaction at + 0.46 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) to the nitrosonium cation.