Electrochemical and In situ FTIR Studies of Maleic Acid Reduction in BF_4

The ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborates(BF4) was synthesized and used as both solvent and electrolyte.Electrochemical reduction of maleic acid in the ionic liquid was studied by cyclic voltammetry(CV),chronoamperometry(CA) and in situ FTIR spectroscopy.The results demonstrated that the reduction of maleic acid on GC electrode is an irreversible process controlled by diffusion.The diffusion coefficient D of maleic acid is determined to be 9.62×10-8 cm2/s.in situ FTIR results illustrated that the reduction of maleic acid in ionic liquids occurs on the carboxyl.The first step is to geaerte radical anions,which are reduced then to aldehyde species and water with two hydrogen ions.