Mechanistic study of colchicine's reduction behavior

•The first systematic mechanistic study of colchicine's reduction using EC and EC/MS is reported.•A two-compartment electrochemical cell is more appropriate for mechanistic studies by EC/MS analysis.•A neutral radical and a radical anion are proposed as intermediates.

Electrochemistry/mass spectrometry (EC/MS) using two different types of electrolytic cells was employed for the systematic mechanistic study of colchicine's reduction, both in aqueous and non-aqueous media. In aqueous media, at around − 1 V vs. Ag/AgCl, colchicine suffers a single-electron reduction to a transient anion radical, which after a follow-up protonation leads to a neutral free radical (ErCi mechanism). Depending on the experimental conditions, the latter undergoes some dimerization. At more negative potentials (− 1.4 V vs. Ag/AgCl) and pH < 7, the free radical is undergoing another single-electron reduction and a subsequent protonation. In the absence of protons (aprotic media), the one-electron reduction gives the anion radical. This process becomes fully reversible at high scan rates (≥ 10 V/s).

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