The mechanism of the Kolbe electrosynthesis and related reactions

Results of investigations into adsorption, the kinetics of the electrode processes, and the mechanism of the Kolbe electrosynthesis and related reactions are analyzed. The influence of the carboxylic acid nature on the Kolbe electrosynthesis is shown to be three-pronged. It involves, first, a change in the destructive oxidation rate of carboxylic acid molecules; second, a competition between the carboxylate anion, solvent, and various substrates during adsorption on platinum in the region of high anodic potentials; and third, a change in the direction of radical reactions as a function of the nature of the radical being formed and nature of the solvent. Various viewpoints of the mechanism of the Kolbe electrosynthesis and related reactions are considered.