Electrochemical Study of the Redox Properties of Levulinic Acid in Organic and Aqueous-Organic Solutions

The redox properties of levulinic acid (LA) were studied by electrochemical methods in acetonitrile, a mixture of acetonitrile with water, ethanol, acetone, and dimethyl sulfoxide. It was shown that the irreversible two-electron reduction of LA under the studied conditions leads to the formation of γ-valerolactone. This reduction potential depends on the solvent and shifted anodically by following order: dimethyl sulfoxide