Structure-Dependent Electrochemical Behavior of 2-Pyridone Derivatives: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study

Abstract

In this work, the electrooxidation ability of nine pyridones was evaluated using cyclic(CV) and square-wave voltammetry (SWV) in Britton–Robinson (BR) aqueous buffer solutions on aglassy carbon electrode (GC). The dependence of electrochemical activity on pyridone structure waselucidated by means of experimentally obtained spectra and quantum chemical calculations. Firstly, itwas shown that electrochemical activity is determined by the –OH group as a substituent in position6 of the pyridone ring. By coupling the experimentally obtained UV-Vis spectra and DFT calculations,the most stable forms, both protonated and deprotonated, were defined. The calculated values areconsistent with the electrochemical behavior observed, indicating that the deprotonated anionic formwas the most electrochemically active. Moreover, the impact of the substituent in position 3 of thepyridone scaffold was discussed