The present investigation provides a unique, simple, selective and efficient method for the electrochemical reduction of aromatic nitro groups into amines using chitosan-hydrogen iodide salt supported graphite electrode. 3:1 tetrabutyl ammonium chloride and acetic acid mixture was used as the medium for electrolytic process and a constant voltage of 5 V applied between the modified electrodes. The reaction was found to be selective and further reduction of amines was not observed. The purity of the products was checked with HPLC and characterized using spectroscopic tools. The electrochemical synthesis resulted in moderate to good yields of amino compounds which were higher than the reduction using conventional graphite electrodes. Quaternary ammonium chloride behaved as supporting electrolyte during synthesis and the reaction did not progress in the absence of acetic acid. The redox characteristic of the process was studied by cyclic voltammetry of the reaction mixture.

Two heterocyclic oximes (E)-N-hydroxy-1-(pyridin-2-yl)methanimine (Hp2ylm) and (E)-N-hydroxy-1-(pyridin-3-yl)methanimine (Hp3ylm) were synthesized from pyridine-2-carbaldehyde and pyridine-3-carbaldehyde, respectively. These oximes were characterized by various spectroscopic tools like UV, IR, MASS and NMR. The inhibition capacity of these oximes against copper corrosion in 0.1 M HNO3 was determined by polarization and impedance spectroscopic studies (EIS). At all concentrations, Hp3ylm exhibited higher inhibition efficiency than Hp2ylm. Attempt was made to illustrate the mechanism of corrosion inhibition by these oximes with the help of adsorption isotherm, scanning electron microscopic (SEM) and quantum chemical studies.

The corrosion inhibition efficiencies of two novel Schiff bases, namely (E)-3-[thiophen-2-ylmethyleneamino]benzoic acid (T2YMABA) and (E)-4-(5-[(2-phenylhydrazono) methyl]thiophen-2-yl)benzoic acid (PHMT2YBA) on mild steel (MS) in 1.0M HCl solution has been investigated and compared using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization analysis. The Schiff bases exhibited very good corrosion inhibitions on mild steel in 1.0M HCl medium and the inhibition efficiency increased with the increase in concentration of the inhibitor. Polarization studies revealed that T2YMABA acted as a mixed type inhibitor whereas PHMT2YBA molecules acted as anodic inhibitor.