Oxidation Chemistry of 3,7-Dimethylxanthine – a Central Behavioural Stimulant at Solid Electrodes

The electrochemical oxidation of 3,7-dimethylxanthine has been studied in the pH range 2.1–10.7 at pyrolytic graphite, platinum and glassy carbon electrodes. The electrooxidation of 3,7-dimethylxanthine at solid electrodes proceeds in a single 4e, 4H+ pH dependent step to give a diimine species which decomposes in chemical followup steps. The UV absorbing intermediate generated during electrooxidation of 3,7-dimethylxanthine decayed approximately at the same rate as that of xanthine and followed the first order kinetics. The products of electrooxidation of 3,7-dimethylxanthine were characterized and a reaction scheme is suggested to explain their formation. The effect of introducing methyl groups into the electrooxidation of xanthine is also presented.