An Engineering Model for Electro-Organic Synthesis in Continuous Flow-Through Porous Electrodes

Under controlled experimental conditions, 9-10 diphenylanthracene (DPA) was oxidized in a sectioned flow-through porous electrode in order to study the relation between operating conditions and product yield. The DPA solution contained 0.2N tetraethylammonium perchlorate in acetonitrile. The electrode was fabricated from 100-mesh platinum screens. The reaction rate distribution within the sectioned electrode was measured directly, and the reactor effluent was analyzed to obtain the concentrations of DPA and its cation radical (DPA⁺). Experimental data were compared with calculations based on flow-through porous electrode theory with consideration of the multiple reaction sequence (EEC) under study. Literature values, where available, were used without adjustment in making theoretical calculations with use of a mathematical model of the reactor system. The model calculations predicted total currents which were within 4% of experimental data, and gave good agreement with current distribution data at various flow velocities and applied potentials.