Studies on the electrooxidation of methyl naphthyl sulphides on glassy carbon electrode

The anodic oxidation of methyl 1-naphthyl and methyl 2-naphthyl sulphides o n glassy carbon electrode in acetonitrile medium afford the corresponding s ulphones as the final products. The electrochemical behaviour of these sulp hides has been studied using cyclic voltammetric and coulometric experiment s. While methyl 1-naphthyl sulphide exhibits three well defined anodic peak s, its 2- isomer shows only two peaks. The sulphoxides from both the sulphi des are strongly adsorbed over the electrode surface, a phenomenon not obse rved in the case of methyl phenyl sulphoxide; the difference explicable an the basis of the larger surface area of the pi-system of the naphthyl ring than the phenyl ring.