Electrochemical production of organic thiols
AssigneeAllied Chemical Corporation
InventorsDivna Cipris, Dirk Pouli
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process is described for the electrochemical reduction of organic disulfides in the presence of halide ion to form the corresponding thiols, which comprises using a stable solid cathode selected from the group consisting of the disulfides and diselenides of titanium, vanadium, molybdenum, tantalum, tungsten, niobium and zirconium, wherein the cathode does not undergo substantial disintegration during the reduction. The organic thiol products are useful as intermediates in the manufacture of organic pigments, as polymerization activators and as polymerization modifiers in the manufacture of rubber.
Claims15
A process for the electrochemical reduction of an organic disulfide, free from other reducible groups in the process, to the corresponding thiol in the presence of halide ion which comprises passing a direct electric current between (1) a stable solid cathode selected from the group consisting of the disulfides and diselenides of titanium, vanadium, molybdenum, tantalum, tungsten, niobium and zirconium, immersed in a catholyte containing the organic disulfide and halide ion, and (2) an anode immersed in an anolyte, wherein the anolyte and catholyte are separated by a membrane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.