Introduction:

A proposal for industrial synthesis for glyoxal, the simplest dialdehyde, widely used in cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry, has been theoretically evaluated. In fact, this is an adaptation of a chemical method for electroorganic synthesis over an anode, modified by a conducting polymer coating, doped by the selenite-ion.

Methodology:

A correspondent mathematical model has been developed and analyzed by means of linear stability theory and bifurcation analysis. The balance equation-set for potentiostatic mode is bivariant.

Results:

It was proven that the double electric layer (DEL) capacitances are affected on both electrochemical and chemical stages. These influences are responsible for the appearance of the oscillatory behavior in the system. On the other hand, the steady-state becomes stable and maintains stable, indicating an efficient electroorganic method. The yield is expected to be higher than for the chemical system.

Conclusion:

The selenite-doped conducting polymer electrode is an efficient tool for ethanal electroorganic conversion into glyoxal. Contrarily to the classic method, it may be used in industrial scale.