Ultrasound in organic electrosynthesis

Mechanical effects induced by ultrasonication can be very helpful for the a ctivation of electrochemical reactions. The continuous cleaning of the elec trodes by ultrasound irradiation of the electrochemical cell or the enhance ment of mass transfer at the electrodes are examples of such activation. Fi nally, ultrasonication can play an important part for the orientation of re actions whose selectivities are very sensitive to stirring. Two very differ ent examples have been chosen to illustrate these phenomena: the indirect e lectrooxidation of di-ketone-L-sorbose into the corresponding ketogluonic a cid and the direct electroreduction of acetophenone into pinacol. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.