Abstract: In an electrolytic cell with an ion exchange membrane, Br^- was oxidized to Br₂, which was used as an oxidant to oxidize hydroxypivalaldehyde to hydroxypivalic acid. The effects of temperature, pH, anode potential and concentration of reactants on current efficiency and selectivity was explored. The results indicate that the current efficiency and the selectivity of the reaction for forming hydroxypivalic acid are very high, the highest current efficiency is 91.4%, the selectivity was generally greater than 90%.

Key words: Hydroxypivalaldehyde, Hydroxypivalic acid, Bromide ion, Indirect electrooxidation