Electrochemical oxidation of tetramethoxy precursor as a key step for the synthesis of coenzyme Q10

The feasibility of electrosynthesis of coenzyme Q10 (1) by electrooxidation of tetramethoxy precursor (2) has been investigated at carbon, Pt and BDD anodes in a divided cell. The process strongly depends on the applied potential, anode material and water content of the solvent. At carbon anodes in CH3CN/CH2Cl2 + 0.15 M Bu4NBF4 at proper operative conditions high faradic efficiency (>60%) and excellent selectivity (95–97%) of the target product were obtained.