Reaction products of anodic oxidation of methanol in sulfuric acid solution

The reaction products of the anodic oxidation of CH3OH on a Pt/Pt electrode were studied in 1 M H2SO4 solution. Small amounts of HCOOCH3 were detected besides CO2, HCOOH and HCHO. HCHO and HCOOH were formed mostly in the initial period and at the steady state the current efficiency of the CO2 production became 100%. During the initial 50 min, the yield of CO2 increased when the roughness factor of the electrode and the reaction temperature were increased. The yield of CO2 decreased when CH3OH concentration increased.