Investigation of electrochemical oxidative coupling of 3 and 6 substituted carbazoles

In this study, electrochemical behavior of different functionalized carbazoles has been studied through classical cyclic voltammetry, computational calculations, electrochemical simulations and more originally fast cyclic voltammetry. Indeed, fast electrochemistry is rarely used to study reactivity of such compounds even if it can bring very interesting information as shown in this work. Carbazoles were substituted with ethyl, tert-butyl and phenyl groups at 3 and 6 positions. Oxidation of 3-ethylcarbazole leads to very fast dimerization of formed radical cations (k(dim) = 1.5.10(7) M-1.s(-1)) and electrochemical polymerization of this compound leads to a thick adherent conducting polymer film. This was also the case for 3-phenylcarbazole and 3,6-diphenylcarbazole when potential was brought over 1.7 V/SCE because of formation of very reactive radicals after oxidation process involving phenyl groups. For 3,6-diethylcarbazole, 3-tert-butylcarbazole, 3,6-ditert-butylcarbazole, as well as 3-phenylcarbazole and 3,6-diphenylcarbazole when potential is kept under 1.4 V/SCE, dimerization of radical cations is slower (kdim <= 1.5.10(6) M-1.s(-1)) and no efficient electropolymerization occurs. A theoretical study of the same substituted carbazoles in their neutral and oxidized states was done using molecular orbital calculations (DFT method) to obtain additional information about carbazole reactivity. These numerical calculations were in perfect accordance with results of fast electrochemistry and electrochemical simulations regarding stability of radical cations. They demonstrated that monosubstituted carbazole dimers are probably obtained through 6-60 coupling while 1-10 coupling is the most favorable for disubstituted carbazole dimers.

Automated summary

The electrochemical behavior of different functionalized carbazoles was studied using classical cyclic voltammetry, computational calculations, electrochemical simulations, and fast cyclic voltammetry. The presence of ethyl, tert-butyl, and phenyl groups in carbazoles affected the rate of dimerization of radical cations and their electrochemical polymerization. Theoretical calculations using DFT method were consistent with experimental results, providing further insights into the reactivity of carbazoles.