DIRECT SURVEY OF REDOX-ACTIVE COMPOUNDS IN SESAME OIL BY CYCLIC VOLTAMMETRY - STUDIES ON SESAMINOL, SESAMOL AND HYDROXYHYDROQUINONE IN NUJOL

The redox behaviour of compounds in sesame oil was investigated direct ly by cyclic voltammetry (CV) in 1 M sulfuric acid. The oil was used a s a pasting material for a carbon paste electrode (CPE). CV curves mea sured on the CPE showed the redox behaviour of redox active compounds to be more concentrated than ca. 0.01%. The characteristic CV curve of sesame oil has been attributed to the reactions of sesaminol and sesa mol. Electrochemical oxidation of sesaminol and sesamol in 1 M sulfuri c acid took place at the methylenedioxy and para-hydroxy groups, affor ding substituted and unsubstituted hydroxybenzoquinones. Mechanisms fo r the electrochemical reactions are proposed on the basis of the behav iour of model compounds.