Kinetics and mechanism of the anodic dimerization of trans-anethole studied by cyclic voltammetry and scanning electrochemical microscopy

The mechanistic study of trans-anethole oxidation at platinum electrodes by cyclic voltammetry in acetonitrile shows that reaction occurs by a rapid r adical-radical dimerization of the trans-anethole radical cation. The use o f the scanning electrochemical microscope (SECM) for studying homogeneous k inetics allowed the determination of the very large rate constant for the c oupling between two trans-anethole radical cations: log(k/M-1 s(-1)) = 8.6/-0.4. Combining this result with the cyclic voltammetric data allowed us t o estimate the standard potential of the Irans-anethole radical cation as E degrees=1.40(4) V vs. SCE.