Carbon dioxide cycle via electrocatalysis: Electrochemical carboxylation of CO2 and decarboxylative functionalization of carboxylic acids

Electrocatalytic three-component synthesis of 4-halopyrazoles with sodium halide as the halogen source

The first example of the electrocatalytic multicomponent synthesis of 4-chloro/bromo/iodopyrazoles from hydrazines, acetylacetones and sodium halides under chemical oxidant- and external electrolyte-free conditions has been developed.

Electrochemical C–H functionalization to synthesize 3-hydroxyalkylquinoxalin-2(1H)-ones via quinoxalin-2(1H)-ones and aldehydes

We reported an electrocatalytic direct C3-hydroxyalkylation of quinoxalin-2(1H)-ones to construct 3-hydroxyalkylquinoxalin-2(1H)-one derivatives, which uses unprotected quinoxalin-2(1H)-ones and aliphatic aldehydes as substrates.

Copper-Catalyzed Ullmann-Type Coupling and Decarboxylation Cascade of Arylhalides with Malonates to Access α-Aryl Esters

We have developed a high-efficiency and practical Cu-catalyzed cross-coupling to directly construct versatile α-aryl-esters by utilizing readily available aryl bromides (or chlorides) and malonates. These gram-scale approaches occur with turnovers of up to 1560 and are smoothly conducted by the usage of a low catalyst loading, a new available ligand, and a green solvent. A variety of functional groups are tolerated, and the application occurs with α-aryl-esters to access nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on the gram scale.

Desulfonylative Electrocarboxylation with Carbon Dioxide

Electrocarboxylation of organic halides is one of the most investigated electrochemical approaches for converting thermodynamically inert carbon dioxide (CO₂) into value-added carboxylic acids. By converting organic halides into their sulfone derivatives, we have developed a highly efficient electrochemical desulfonylative carboxylation protocol. Such a strategy takes advantage of CO₂ as the abundant C1 building block for the facile preparation of multifunctionalized carboxylic acids, including the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen, under mild reaction conditions.

TfOH-Catalyzed [4 + 1] Annulation of p-Quinone Methides with α-Aryl Diazoacetates: Straightforward Access to Highly Functionalized 2,3-Dihydrobenzofurans

We have developed a methodology for the greatly efficient construction of significant 2,3-dihydrobenzofuran scaffolds bearing a quaternary carbon center at the C2 position by means of [4 + 1] annulation reactions between p-quinone methides and α-aryl diazoacetates as C1 synthons through organocatalysis by readily accessible TfOH catalyst under mild and transition metal-free conditions. This metal-free protocol furnishes an operationally simple and swift process for the free assembly of diverse highly functionalized 2,3-dihydrobenzofurans and also features broad substrate scope, excellent functional group compatibility, and environmental friendliness. Mechanistic investigation suggested that the reaction undergoes a rapid cascade protonation/intermolecular Michael addition/intramolecular substitution process.

Recent progress on electrochemical synthesis involving carboxylic acids

Carboxylic acids are not only essential sections of medicinal molecules, natural products and agrochemicals but also basic building blocks for organic synthesis. However, high temperature, expensive catalysts and excess oxidants are normally required for carboxylic acid group transformations. Therefore, more eco-friendly and efficient methods are urgently needed. Organic electrochemistry, as an environmentally friendly and sustainable synthetic method, can potentially avoid the above problems and is favored by more and more organic chemists. This review summarized the recent progress on the electrochemical synthesis of carboxylic acids to construct more complex compounds, emphasizing the development of electrosynthesis methodologies and mechanisms in order to attract more chemists to recognize the importance and applications of electrochemical synthesis.