a College of Life Science & Bioengineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
b College of Chemistry, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, Hunan 411105, China

The electrochemical synthesis of 5-purin-6’-ylthiocatechols was carried out by anodic oxidation of catechol derivatives 1a—1d in the presence of 6-mercaptopurine (2) in aqueous solution. Results of cyclic voltammetry and controlled-potential electrolysis indicated that the starting catechols were first oxidized to the corresponding o-benzoquinone, which underwent further Michael addition with 6-mercaptopurine to produce titled products 3a—3d following an EC (E＝electrochemical and C＝chemical step) mechanism. Such work further demonstrates the versatility of the anodic oxidation of catechols and their in-situ transformation for the synthesis of derivatized catechols.