Rn. Goyal et A. Rastogi, Oxidation chemistry of 3,7-dimethylxanthine - a central behavioural stimulant at solid electrodes, CROAT CHEM, 73(2), 2000, pp. 495-509
The electrochemical oxidation of 3,7-dimethylxanthine has been studied in t
he pH range 2.1-10.7 at pyrolytic graphite, platinum and glassy carbon elec
trodes. The electrooxidation of 3,7-dimethylxanthine at solid electrodes pr
oceeds in a single 4e, 4H(+) pH dependent step to give a diimine species wh
ich decomposes in chemical followup steps. The UV absorbing intermediate ge
nerated during electrooxidation of 3,7-dimethylxanthine decayed approximate
ly at the same rate as that of xanthine and followed the first order kineti
cs. The products of electrooxidation of 3,7-dimethylxanthine were character
ized and a reaction scheme is suggested to explain their formation. The eff
ect of introducing methyl groups into the electrooxidation of xanthine is a
lso presented.