Electrochemical oxidation of catechols has been studied in the presence of cyanide ion as nucleophile in aqueous solution, by means of cyclic voltammetry and controlled-potential coulometry. The results indicate that the participation of catechols in the Michael reaction with cyanide ion to form the corresponding o-dihydroxybenzonitrile. Based on an EC mechanism, the homogeneous rate constants were estimated by comparing the experimental cyclic voltammetric responses with the digital simulated results.
