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Electrode materials can have a significant impact on the course of an electrolysis reaction. Of particular interest is that different electrodes can generate different products from the same substrate. The electrode‐material‐selective transformations of styrene derivatives with molecular oxygen are reported. Platinum electrodes afford carbonyl products via cleavage of olefins, whereas tetrahydrofuran formation is achieved with carbon electrodes. A variety of different styrenes are available for both reactions. Electrolysis allows straightforward and mild chemical conversions that are metal‐ and oxidant‐free. Electrochemical measurements illuminate the different effects of platinum and carbon electrodes on styrenes. The key to the differing reactions is probably that the oxidation potentials of the substrates are lower (higher HOMO energy) on carbon electrodes than on platinum electrodes. The adsorption of the substrates on carbon electrodes can also promote tetrahydrofuran formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Die Wahl des Elektrodenmaterials bestimmt das Ergebnis bei elektrochemischen Reaktionen von Styrolen mit molekularem Sauerstoff. Wie K. Chiba und Mitarbeiter in ihrer Zuschrift auf S. 131 berichten, liefern Platinelektroden selektiv unter Doppelbindungsspaltung die Carbonylverbindungen (wie der Samurai mit dem Platin‐Schwert), während Kohlenstoffelektroden die Styrol‐Dimerisierung unter Bildung von Tetrahydrofuran‐Derivaten begünstigen (wie der Schütze, der mit seinem Carbon‐Bogen ein zweites Styrolmolekül verschießt). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]