A facile galvanostatic method for the synthesis of quinoxalinediones

Electrochemical oxidation of catechols (1a–d) has been studied in the presence of N,N-dimethylethylendiamine (3) as a nucleophile in aqueous solutions, using cyclic voltammetry, constant-current coulometry and controlled-potential coulometry. The results indicate that the quinones derived from catechols (2a–d) participate in Michael addition reactions with N,N′-dimethylethylendiamine (3) via the ECECE mechanism to form the corresponding quinoxalinedione derivatives (6a–c).