The effect of mixing on the paired dimerisations of methyl acrylate and diethyl malonate

The paired dimerisations of methyl acrylate and diethyl malonate have been carried out in a pump cell, a capillary gap cell, a parallel plate cell and a trickle tower cell, and the distributions of products related to the environments in the cells. It is clear that good dispersion of malonate anions is essential for high selectivity, but that too high a dispersion rate leads to loss of current efficiency through the parasitic iodine cycle.