Mechanism of electrochemical oxidation of phenylhydrazine at pyrolytic graphite electrode

Abstract

The electrochemical oxidation of phenylhydrazine, a well known medicine for the treatment of <i>polycythemia vera </i> has been studied in the <i>p</i>H range 2.0 to 10.0 at pyrolytic graphite electrode, using various electroanalytical techniques. The electrochemical studies coupled with the spectral studies clearly indicate that phenylhydrazine oxidises in 2e,2H⁺ reaction to give unstable phenyldiimide which undergoes a variety of reactions to give dimer and benzene as the major products. A plausible mechanism has also been suggested.