One-pot electrochemical oxidation of glycerol to DHA

One-pot, waste-free oxidation of glycerol to 1,3-dihydroxyacetone (DHA) was achieved by simply applying a small electric potential (1.1 V vs Ag/AgCl) to a glycerol solution in water buffered at pH 9.1 in the presence of 15 mol % TEMPO (2,2,6,6- tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl). Prolonging the reaction time affords comparable amounts of hydroxypyruvic acid.