Scalable and sustainable electrochemical allylic C-H oxidation

Organo-mediator enabled electrochemical transformations

Electrochemistry has emerged as a powerful means to facilitate redox transformations in modern chemical synthesis. This review focuses on organo-mediators that facilitate electrochemical reactions via outer-sphere electron transfer (ET) between active mediators and substrates, offering advantages over direct electrolysis due to their availability, ease of modification, and simple post-processing. They prevent overoxidation/reduction, enhance selectivity, and mitigate electrode passivation during the electrosynthesis. By modifying the structure of organo-mediators, those with tunable redox potentials enable electrosynthesis and avoid metal residues in the final products, making them promising for further application in synthetic chemistry, particularly in pharmacochemistry, where the maximum allowed level of the metal residue in synthetic samples is extremely strict. This review highlights the recent advancements in this rapidly growing area within the past two decades, including the electrochemical organo-mediated oxidation (EOMO) and electrochemical organo-mediated reduction (EOMR) events. The organo-mediator enabled electrochemical transformations are discussed according to the reaction type, which has been categorized into oxidation and reduction organic mediators.

A General Strategy for C(sp3)─H Bond Etherification via Quinoline Derivative-Mediated Electrolysis

Electrooxidative coupling of C(sp3)─H bonds with nucleophiles offers an attractive method for constructing C─C and C─X bonds without sacrificial oxidants. However, the direct electrochemical approach requires the nucleophilic reagent to have a higher potential than the C(sp3)─H coupling partners, which restricts the substrate scope. In this study, a quinoline derivative is introduced as an electrochemical mediator, enabling efficient C─H bond etherification with reduced reliance on the electronic properties of substrates. The catalytic system demonstrates broad substrate compatibility, extending to C(sp3)─H coupling partners featuring a diverse range of C─H bonds, including tertiary benzylic C─H bonds and unactivated C(sp3)─H bonds. Mechanistic investigations confirm the role of the electrocatalyst in the hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) process. This method provides a versatile and efficient strategy for the late-stage functionalization of bioactive molecules.

TBAI-mediated electrochemical oxidative synthesis of quinazolin-4(3H)-ones from 2-aminobenzamides and isothiocyanates

A practical protocol has been established to access 2-aminoquinazolin-4(3H)-one derivatives through the electrochemical desulfurative cyclization of 2-aminobenzamides and isothiocyanates. The protocol allows for the formation of C-N bonds under mild conditions without metal catalysts or external oxidants. The practicability of this strategy is demonstrated by its broad substrate scope, good functional group compatibility, and scale-up synthesis.

Electrochemical Benzylic C-H Carboxylation

Direct benzylic C-H carboxylation stands as a high atom economy, efficient, and convenient route for the synthesis of valuable benzylic carboxylic acids, which are of great significance in many pharmaceuticals and bioactive molecules. However, the inherent inertness of both benzylic C-H bonds and carbon dioxide presents a great challenge for further transformations. Herein, we report our efforts to overcome this obstacle via halide-promoted linear paired electrolysis to generate various benzylic carboxylic acids. Remarkably, this process is transition-metal- and base-free, making it environmentally benign and cost-effective. Besides, it is suitable for constructing a wide range of primary, secondary, and tertiary benzylic carboxylic acids under mild reaction conditions, demonstrating broad substrate scopes and good functional group tolerance. Furthermore, our protocol enables the direct synthesis of some drug molecules, including Flurbiprofen, Ibuprofen, and Naproxen, and facilitates the late-stage modification of complex compounds, showcasing the practical application in synthetic chemistry and underscores its potential to advance the synthesis of benzylic carboxylic acids and related compounds.

CoOx clusters-decorated IrO2 electrocatalyst activates NO3- mediator for benzylic C-H activation

Electrochemical conversion of petrochemical-derived hydrocarbons to high-value oxygenates can utilize renewable energy and reduce carbon emissions. However, this involves the challenging activation of inert C(sp3)-H bonds at room temperature. Here, we introduce an electrocatalyst:mediator assembly in which CoOx clusters-decorated IrO2 electrocatalyst activates NO3- mediator to a highly reactive radical capable of abstracting a hydrogen atom from benzylic C-H. The interface between CoOx and IrO2 promotes NO3- activation by facilitating the desorption of NO3● radical for subsequent reaction. Our strategy is demonstrated through the selective oxidation of toluene to benzaldehyde with high Faradaic efficiency of 86( ±1)% at 25 mA/cm2, a factor of >3 times higher than the bare electrocatalyst. The electrocatalyst:mediator assembly is operated stably for 100 h, with minimal decline in performance. When translated into a flow system, a Faradaic efficiency of 60( ±4)% at 200 mA/cm2 was achieved.

Electrochemical Amination of Aryl Halides with NH3

Primary arylamines are the most pivotal class of organic motifs in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, ligands and natural products. Ammonia (NH3) is an ideal nitrogen source in terms of reactivity, atom economy, and environmental compatibility. Despite significant progress in the synthesis of primary arylamines, the development of a general method for rapid access to diversely functionalized primary arylamines is still urgent and necessary. Herein, we developed a method for the direct synthesis of primary arylamines through electrochemical amination of aryl halides with NH3. Notably, the weak nucleophilic reagent NH3 was directly used as an ammonia surrogate, allowing for efficient conversion of carbon-halogen bonds to diverse primary arylamines with good functional group tolerance. A broad scope of functionalized primary arylamines has been achieved in moderate to excellent yields.

Scalable and efficient electrochemical bromination of arenes with Faradaic efficiencies surpassing 90

Developing cost-effective and environmentally friendly approaches to synthesize brominated chemicals, which are important intermediates for the synthesis of various useful molecules such as pharmaceuticals, surfactants, pesticides, and biologically active heterocyclic compounds, is of great significance. Herein, we present a highly efficient electrochemical bromine evolution reaction over vacancy rich Co3O4 using cheap NaBr as the bromine source for the synthesis of valuable brominated fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals under ambient conditions. The introduction of oxygen vacancy onto Co3O4 can greatly enhance the activity and selectivity of bromine evolution reaction by optimizing Br* intermediate adsorption and desorption, enabling bromination of a series of bioactive molecules and pharmaceuticals at high yields.

Chemo- and stereoselective synthesis of Z-alkenes via electrochemical Pd-catalyzed alkyne reduction

In this study, we introduce an electrocatalytic reaction for hydrogenating alkynes to Z-alkenes, which demonstrates exceptional efficiency with high chemo- and stereoselectivity. Control experiments reveal that hydrogen primarily originates from the solvent, supporting a mechanism where palladium catalyzes continuous hydrogen adsorption and transfer under cathodic conditions. The synthetic value of the Z-alkene products, the mild, green nature of the method, and successful gram-scale experiments underscore the potential of this approach for practical and industrial applications, offering a more sustainable and scalable alternative to traditional catalytic processes for selective alkene synthesis.

Electrochemical Cyclopropanation of Unactivated Alkenes with Methylene Compounds

Cyclopropanes are prevalent in natural products, pharmaceuticals, and bioactive compounds, functioning as a significant structural motif. Although a series of methods have been developed for the construction of the cyclopropane skeleton, the development of a direct and efficient strategy for the rapid synthesis of cyclopropanes from bench-stable starting materials with a broad substrate scope and functional group tolerance remains challenging and highly desirable. Herein, we present an electrochemical method for the direct cyclopropanation of unactivated alkenes using active methylene compounds. The strategy shows a broad substrate scope with a high level of functional group compatibility, as well as potential application as demonstrated by late-stage cyclopropanation of complex molecules and drug derivatives. Further mechanistic investigations suggest that Cp2Fe (Fc) plays an essential role as an oxidative mediator in generating radicals from active methylene compounds.

Integrating Machine Learning and Large Language Models to Advance Exploration of Electrochemical Reactions

Electrochemical C-H oxidation reactions offer a sustainable route to functionalize hydrocarbons, yet identifying suitable substrates and optimizing synthesis remain challenging. Here, we report an integrated approach combining machine learning and large language models to streamline the exploration of electrochemical C-H oxidation reactions. Utilizing a batch rapid screening electrochemical platform, we evaluated a wide range of reactions, initially classifying substrates by their reactivity, while LLMs text-mined literature data to augment the training set. The resulting ML models for reactivity prediction achieved high accuracy (>90 %) and enabled virtual screening of a large set of commercially available molecules. To optimize reaction conditions for selected substrates, LLMs were prompted to generate code that iteratively improved yields. This human-AI collaboration proved effective, efficiently identifying high-yield conditions for 8 drug-like substances or intermediates. Notably, we benchmarked the accuracy and reliability of 12 different LLMs-including LLaMA series, Claude series, OpenAI o1, and GPT-4-on code generation and function calling related to ML based on natural language prompts given by chemists to showcase potentials for accelerating research across four diverse tasks. In addition, we collected an experimental benchmark dataset comprising 1071 reaction conditions and yields for electrochemical C-H oxidation reactions.

Metal-Free Electrochemical Allylic C-H Aerobic Oxidation

A scalable and sustainable electrochemical protocol for allylic C-H aerobic oxidation has been developed, enabling the formation of enones without the use of stoichiometric toxic oxidants or metal catalysts and offering an environmentally benign alternative to traditional chemical oxidation techniques. The process has been successfully applied to selectively oxidize a series of natural products and drug molecules, underscoring its potential for widespread adoption in both academic and industrial contexts.

Electrochemical Desaturation and β-Thiocyanation of Cyclic Amides

The site-selective functionalization of cyclic amides provides an attractive protocol for the synthesis of valuable molecules. We report herein an electrochemical desaturation and β-thiocyanation of cyclic amides under external oxidant-free conditions. This method exhibits broad functional group tolerance, excellent selectivity, mild reaction conditions and can be applied for late-stage functionalization of bioactive molecules. Mechanistic studies indicate that an enamide intermediate might be involved.

Electrochemically Induced Synthesis of N-Allyloxyphthalimides via Cross-Dehydrogenative C-O Coupling of N-Hydroxyphthalimide with Alkenes Bearing the Allylic Hydrogen Atom

The electrochemically induced reaction between alkenes, bearing an allylic hydrogen atom, and N-hydroxyphthalimide was investigated. Cross-dehydrogenative C-O coupling with phthalimide-N-oxyl radical, derived from N-hydroxyphthalimide, occurs instead of oxidation of the allylic site, with the formation of a carbonyl group or functionalization of the double C=C bond. The discovered transformation proceeds in an undivided electrochemical cell equipped with a carbon felt anode and a platinum cathode. Coupling products were obtained with yields up to 79%. The developed process is based on the abstraction of hydrogen atom from the allylic position for functionalization while the C=C bond remains unreacted. The method exploits the ability of the phthalimide-N-oxyl radical to abstract hydrogen atoms with the following interception of the intermediate C-centered radical.

Oxoammonium-Catalyzed Ether Oxidation via Hydride Abstraction: Methodology Development and Mechanistic Investigation Using Paramagnetic Relaxation Enhancement NMR

Hydride abstraction represents a promising yet underexplored approach in the functionalization of C-H bonds. In this work, we report the oxidation of α-C-H bonds of ethers via oxoammonium catalysis using 3-chloroperbenzoic acid (mCPBA) as the terminal chemical oxidant or by means of electrochemistry. Mechanistic studies revealed intricate equilibria and interconversion events between various catalytic intermediates in the presence of mCPBA, which alone however was incompetent to drive catalytic turnover. The addition of a small amount of strong acid HNTf2 or weakly coordinating salt NaSbF6 turned on catalytic turnover and promoted ether oxidation with excellent efficiency. NMR experiments leveraging paramagnetic relaxation enhancement effect allowed for quantification of open-shell catalytic intermediates in real time during the reaction course, which aided the identification of catalyst resting states and elucidation of reaction mechanisms.

Correspondence on "Organo-Mediator Enabled Electrochemical Deuteration of Styrenes"

The recently reported electrochemical, organo-mediator enabled deuteration of styrenes, a reaction referred to as "electrochemical deuterium atom transfer", differs mechanistically from reported direct electrochemical hydrogenations/deuterations only by a mediated, homogeneous SET to the substrates. By comparing direct vs. mediated processes in general and for styrene reduction, we display that Qiu's work does not change the concept of this chemistry. Experiments with mediators and the direct reduction of examples from the reported scope show that even electron-rich substrates can be reduced when our direct protocol, published six months before Qiu's work, is applied.

The Aqueous and Acetonitrile Bond Dissociation Free Energies of N-Hydroxyphthalimide

Widely cited values of 89 and 90.9 kcal/mol for the bond-dissociation free energy of N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) in water and acetonitrile, respectively, are in error. The sources of the errors leading to these values have been explored and corrected. The corrected values are confirmed through new experiments in aqueous and acetonitrile media and are found to be 84.4 ± 0.1 and 80.04 ± 0.06 kcal/mol, respectively.

Benzyl Alcohol Functionalization of [1.1.1]Propellane with Alkanes and Aldehydes

Bicyclo[1.1.1]pentanes (BCPs) play a crucial role in drug discovery research as C(sp3)-rich bioisosteres of benzene rings. However, the preparation of BCPs with strong alkane C(sp3)-H bonds has not been reported to date. In this study, we reported a method for light-induced benzyl alcohol functionalization of [1.1.1]propellane with aliphatic hydrocarbons (which have not previously been explored for this purpose) and aldehydes under metal- and photocatalyst-free conditions. The BCP products could be transformed into various useful derivatives, demonstrating the utility of the method. Notably, we achieved the synthesis of functionalized BCPs with simple alkanes.

Electrocatalytic Anaerobic Oxidation of Benzylic Amines Enabled by Ferrocene-Based Redox Mediators

The generation and functionalization of carbon- or nitrogen-centered radicals are of great interest for their potential synthetic utility. Here, we report the anaerobic electrocatalytic oxidation of two primary benzylic amines, benzylamine and 2-picolylamine, in the presence of a catalytic quantity of an electron deficient ferrocene derivative as a single-electron redox mediator. The use of the appropriate redox mediator prevented fouling of the electrode surface and significantly decreased the potential at which the catalytic oxidation reaction occurred. Simulation of the electrochemical results revealed an ErCi' catalytic process between the redox mediator and both substrates and significant difference in the electron transfer rate between the two substrates and electrochemically oxidized mediator. Through anaerobic controlled-potential electrolysis, we demonstrated a method with a Faradaic efficiency of 90% forming the desired coupled imine product of benzylamine oxidation while avoiding an excess of problematic overoxidation, hydrolysis, and other side reactions. Based on the electrochemical data along with the product analyses using IR and 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopies, the proposed mechanistic steps for the redox mediated electrocatalytic process were laid out.

Direct oxygen insertion into C-C bond of styrenes with air

Skeletal editing of single-atom insertion to basic chemicals has been demonstrated as an efficient strategy for the discovery of structurally diversified compounds. Previous endeavors in skeletal editing have successfully facilitated the insertion of boron, nitrogen, and carbon atoms. Given the prevalence of oxygen atoms in biologically active molecules, the direct oxygenation of C-C bonds through single-oxygen-atom insertion like Baeyer-Villiger reaction is of particular significance. Herein, we present an approach for the skeletal modification of styrenes using O2 via oxygen insertion, resulting in the formation of aryl ether frameworks under mild reaction conditions. The broad functional-group tolerance and the excellent chemo- and regioselectivity are demonstrated in this protocol. A preliminary mechanistic study indicates the potential involvement of 1,2-aryl radical migration in this reaction.

Universal high-efficiency electrocatalytic olefin epoxidation via a surface-confined radical promotion

Production of epoxides via selective oxidation of olefins affords a fundamental source of key intermediates for the industrial manufacture of diverse chemical stocks and materials. Current oxidation strategy generally works under harsh conditions including high temperature, high pressure, and/or request for potentially hazardous oxidants, leading to substantial challenges in sustainability and energy efficiency. To this end, direct electrocatalytic epoxidation poses as a promising solution to these issues, yet their industrial applications are limited by the low selectivity, low yield, and poor stability of the electrocatalysts. Here we report a universal electrochemical epoxidation approach via a kinetically confined surface radical pathway. High epoxidation efficiency can be achieved under mild working conditions (e.g., >99% selectivity, >80% yield and >80% Faraday efficiency for cyclohexene-to-cyclohexene oxide conversion), which can be extended to broad scope of olefin substrates. The catalytic performance originated from a surface bimolecular (L-H) reaction mechanism involving formation and surface confinement of bromine radicals due to kinetic restriction, which effectively activates inert C=C bonds while avoiding the homogenous radical side reactions. With the use of renewable energy and water as green oxygen source, successful implementation of this approach will pave the way for more sustainable chemical production and manufacturing.

Energy transfer-mediated multiphoton synergistic excitation for selective C(sp3)-H functionalization with coordination polymer

Activation and selective oxidation of inert C(sp3)-H bonds remain one of the most challenging tasks in current synthetic chemistry due to the inherent inertness of C(sp3)-H bonds. In this study, inspired by natural monooxygenases, we developed a coordination polymer with naphthalenediimide (NDI)-based ligands and binuclear iron nodes. The mixed-valence FeIIIFeII species and chlorine radicals (Cl•) are generated via ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) between FeIII and chlorine ions. These Cl• radicals abstract a hydrogen atom from the inert C(sp3)-H bond of alkanes via hydrogen atom transfer (HAT). In addition, NDI converts oxygen to 1O2 via energy transfer (EnT), which then coordinates to FeII, forming an FeIV = O intermediate for the selective oxidation of C(sp3)-H bonds. This synthetic platform, which combines photoinduced EnT, LMCT and HAT, provides a EnT-mediated parallel multiphoton excitation strategy with kinetic synergy effect for selective C(sp3)-H oxidation under mild conditions and a blueprint for designing coordination polymer-based photocatalysts for C(sp3)-H bond oxidation.

Unveiling the Significance of tert-Butoxides in Transition Metal-Free Cross-Coupling Reactions

The astounding reactivity of tert-butoxides in transition metal-free coupling reactions is driving the scientific community towards a new era of environmental friendly, as well as cost-effective, transformation strategies. Transition metal-catalyzed coupling reactions generate hazardous wastes and require harsh reaction conditions, mostly at elevated temperature, which increases not only costs but also environmental concerns regarding the methodology. Tert-butoxide-catalyzed/mediated coupling reactions have several advantages and potential applications. They can form carbon-carbon, carbon-heteroatom, and heteroatom-heteroatom bonds under mild reaction conditions. Mechanistic insights into these reactions include both ionic and radical pathways, with the fate of the intermediates depending on the reaction conditions and/or additives used in the reactions. Among all of the known tert-butoxides, potassium tert-butoxide has pronounced applications in transition metal-free coupling reactions as compared to other tert-butoxides, such as sodium and lithium tert-butoxides, because of the higher electropositivity of potassium compared to sodium and lithium. Moreover, potassium tert-butoxide can act as a source of base, nucleophile and single electron donors in various important transformations. In this review, we provide an extensive overview and complete compilation of transition metal-free cross-coupling reactions catalyzed/promoted by tert-butoxides during the past 10 years.

Electrocatalytic reductive deuteration of arenes and heteroarenes

The incorporation of deuterium in organic molecules has widespread applications in medicinal chemistry and materials science1,2. For example, the deuterated drugs austedo3, donafenib4 and sotyktu5 have been recently approved. There are various methods for the synthesis of deuterated compounds with high deuterium incorporation6. However, the reductive deuteration of aromatic hydrocarbons-ubiquitous chemical feedstocks-to saturated cyclic compounds has rarely been achieved. Here we describe a scalable and general electrocatalytic method for the reductive deuteration and deuterodefluorination of (hetero)arenes using a prepared nitrogen-doped electrode and deuterium oxide (D2O), giving perdeuterated and saturated deuterocarbon products. This protocol has been successfully applied to the synthesis of 13 highly deuterated drug molecules. Mechanistic investigations suggest that the ruthenium-deuterium species, generated by electrolysis of D2O in the presence of a nitrogen-doped ruthenium electrode, are key intermediates that directly reduce aromatic compounds. This quick and cost-effective methodology for the preparation of highly deuterium-labelled saturated (hetero)cyclic compounds could be applied in drug development and metabolism studies.

Site-Selective Carbonylative Cyclization with Two Allylic C-H Bonds Enabled by Radical Differentiation

Controlling the site-selectivity of C-H functionalization is of significant importance and a formidable undertaking in synthetic organic chemistry, motivating the continuing development of efficient and sustainable technologies for activating C-H bonds. However, methods that control the site-selectivity for double C-H functionalization are rare. We herein report a conceptually new method to achieve highly site-selective C-H functionalization by implementing a radical single-out strategy. Leveraging the steric hindrance-sensitive CO-insertion as the radical differentiation process, a site-selective and stereoselective carbonylative formal [2 + 2] cycloaddition of imines and alkenes by sequential double allylic C-H bond activation was established without special and complicated HAT-reagents. This reaction was compatible with a wide range of alkenes and imines with diverse skeletons to deliver allylic β-lactams that are of synthetic and medicinal interest.

Triaryl Carbenium Ion Pair Mediated Electrocatalytic Benzylic C-H Oxygenation in Air

The selective oxidation of benzylic C-H bonds is a pivotal transformation in organic synthesis. Undoubtedly, achieving efficient and highly selective aerobic oxidation of methylarenes to benzaldehydes has been highly challenging due to the propensity of benzaldehyde to undergo overoxidation under typical aerobic conditions. Herein, we propose an innovative approach to address this issue by leveraging electrocatalytic processes, facilitated by ion-pair mediators [Ph3C]+[B(C6F5)4]-. By harnessing the power of electrochemistry, we successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of our strategy, which enables the selective oxidation of benzylic C-H bonds in benzylic molecules and toluene derivatives. Notably, our approach exhibited high efficiency, excellent selectivity, and compatibility with various functional groups, underscoring the broad applicability of our methodology.

Synergistic use of photocatalysis and convergent paired electrolysis for nickel-catalyzed arylation of cyclic alcohols

The merging of transition metal catalysis with electrochemistry has become a powerful tool for organic synthesis because catalysts can govern the reactivity and selectivity. However, coupling catalysts with alkyl radical species generated by anodic oxidation remains challenging because of electrode passivation, dimerization, and overoxidation. In this study, we developed convergent paired electrolysis for the coupling of nickel catalysts with alkyl radicals derived from photoinduced ligand-to-metal charge-transfer of cyclic alcohols and iron catalysts, providing a practical method for site-specific and remote arylation of ketones. The synergistic use of photocatalysis with convergent paired electrolysis can provide alternative avenues for metal-catalyzed radical coupling reactions.

Electrochemical Allylic C(sp3)-H Isothiocyanation via [3,3]-Sigmatropic Rearrangement

The direct allylic C(sp3)-H functionalization provides a straightforward protocol for the synthesis of valuable molecules. We report herein the first chemo- and site-selective method for allylic C(sp3)-H isothiocyanation of various internal alkenes under mild electrochemical conditions. This method exhibits broad functional group tolerance and excellent selectivity and can be applied for late-stage isothiocyanation of bioactive molecules. Combined experimental and computational studies indicate that the reaction proceeds via an unexpected [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement.

Iodine-Catalyzed Cyclization of o-Nitrothiophenols with Cyclohexanones to Phenothiazines

Here, a novel iodine-catalyzed direct cyclization of o-nitrothiophenols with cyclohexanones to phenothiazines has been described without external oxidants and hydrogen acceptors. The nitro of o-nitrothiophenol works as both a hydrogen acceptor and a coupling group, and water is the only byproduct. The reaction involves the reduction of nitro groups, C-H bond thioetherification, and C-H bond dehydroaromatization. This scheme offers broad synthetic value for further elaborations, as exemplified by a 3-step total synthesis of antipsychotic chlorpromazine.

Sustainable Electrochemical Benzylic C-H Oxidation Using MeOH as an Oxygen Source

New methods and strategies for the direct oxidation of benzylic C-H bonds are highly desirable, owing to the importance of ketone motifs in significant organic transformations and the synthesis of valuable molecules, including pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and fine chemicals. Herein, we describe an electrochemical benzylic C-H oxidation strategy for the synthesis of ketones using MeOH as an oxygen source. Inexpensive and safe KBr serves as both an electrolyte and a bromide radical precursor in the reaction. This transformation also offers several advantages such as mild conditions, broad functional group tolerance, and operational simplicity. Mechanistic investigations by control experiments, radical scavenging experiments, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), kinetic studies, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and in-situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy support a pathway involving the formation and transformation of benzyl methyl ether via hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) and single-electron transfer (SET). The practical application of our strategy is highlighted by the successful synthesis of five pharmaceuticals, namely lenperone, melperone, diphenhydramine, cinnarizine, and flunarizine.

Revisiting the Reactivity of the Dismissed Hydrogen Atom Transfer Catalyst Succinimide-N-oxyl

Phthalimide-N-oxyl (PINO) and related radicals are promising catalysts for C-H functionalization reactions. To date, only a small number of N-oxyl derivatives have demonstrated improved activities over PINO. We postulate that the lack of success in identifying superior catalysts is associated not only with challenges in the design and synthesis of new structures, but also the way catalysts are evaluated and utilized. Catalyst evaluation typically relies on the use of chemical oxidants to generate N-oxyl radicals from their parent N-hydroxy compounds. Herein we provide an example where a potential-controlled electrochemical analysis reveals that succinimide-N-oxyl (SINO) compares favorably to PINO as a hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) catalyst-in contrast to previous claims based on other approaches. Our efforts to understand the basis for the greater reactivity of SINO relative to PINO have underscored that the HAT kinetics are significantly influenced by factors beyond changes in thermodynamics. This is perhaps best illustrated by the similar reactivity of tetrachloro-PINO and SINO despite the latter engaging in substantially more exergonic reactions. The key role of HAT transition state (TS) polarization prompted the design and initial characterization of a chlorinated SINO derivative, which we found to be the most reactive N-oxyl HAT catalyst reported to date.

Electrochemical C-H deuteration of pyridine derivatives with D2O

Herein, we develop a straightforward, metal-free, and acid-/base-free electrochemical C4-selective C - H deuteration of pyridine derivatives with economic and convenient D2O at room temperature. This strategy features an efficient and environmentally friendly approach with high chemo- and regioselectivity, affording a wide range of D-compounds, such as pyridines, quinolones, N-ligands and biorelevant compounds. Notably, the mechanistic experiments and cyclic voltammetry (CV) studies demonstrate that N-butyl-2-phenylpyridinium iodide is a crucial intermediate during the electrochemical transformation, which provides a general and efficient way for deuteration of pyridine derivatives.

Progress in Electrochemically Empowered C-O Bond Formation: Unveiling the Pathway of Efficient Green Synthesis

(C-X) bonds (X=C, N, O) are the main backbone for making different skeleton in the organic synthetic transformations. Among all the sustainable techniques, electro-organic synthesis for C-X bond formation is the advanced tool as it offers a greener and more cost-effective approach to chemical reactions by utilizing electrons as reagents. In this review, we want to explore the recent advancements in electrochemical C-O bond formation. The electrochemically driven C-O bond formation represents an emerging and exciting area of research. In this context, electrochemical techniques offers numerous advantages, including higher yields, cost-efficient production, and simplified work-up procedures. This method enables the continuous and consistent formation of C-O bonds in molecules, significantly enhancing overall reaction yields. Furthermore, both intramolecular and intermolecular C-O bond forming reaction provided valuable products of O-containing acyclic/cyclic analogue. Hence, carbonyl (C=O), ether -O-), and ester (-COOR) functionalization in both cyclic/acyclic analogues have been prepared continuously via this innovative pathway. In this context, we want to discuss one-decade electrochemical synthetic pathways of various C-O bond contains functional group in chronological manner. This review focused on all the synthetic aspects including mechanistic path and has also mentioned overall critical finding regarding the C-O bond formation via electrochemical pathways.

Medium-Sized Ring Expansion Strategies: Enhancing Small-Molecule Library Development

The construction of a small molecule library that includes compounds with medium-sized rings is increasingly essential in drug discovery. These compounds are essential for identifying novel therapeutic agents capable of targeting "undruggable" targets through high-throughput and high-content screening, given their structural complexity and diversity. However, synthesizing medium-sized rings presents notable challenges, particularly with direct cyclization methods, due to issues such as transannular strain and reduced degrees of freedom. This review presents an overview of current strategies in synthesizing medium-sized rings, emphasizing innovative approaches like ring-expansion reactions. It highlights the challenges of synthesis and the potential of these compounds to diversify the chemical space for drug discovery, underscoring the importance of medium-sized rings in developing new bioactive compounds.

Electrochemical C-H/C-C Bond Oxygenation: A Potential Technology for Plastic Depolymerization

Herein, we provide eco-friendly and safely operated electrocatalytic methods for the selective oxidation directly or with water, air, light, metal catalyst or other mediators serving as the only oxygen supply. Heavy metals, stoichiometric chemical oxidants, or harsh conditions were drawbacks of earlier oxidative cleavage techniques. It has recently come to light that a crucial stage in the deconstruction of plastic waste and the utilization of biomass is the selective activation of inert C(sp3 )-C/H(sp3 ) bonds, which continues to be a significant obstacle in the chemical upcycling of resistant polyolefin waste. An appealing alternative to chemical oxidations using oxygen and catalysts is direct or indirect electrochemical conversion. An essential transition in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries is the electrochemical oxidation of C-H/C-C bonds. In this review, we discuss cutting-edge approaches to chemically recycle commercial plastics and feasible C-C/C-H bonds oxygenation routes for industrial scale-up.

How to rationally design homogeneous catalysts for efficient CO2 electroreduction?

Electrified converting CO2 into valuable fuels and chemicals using a homogeneous electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2ER) approach simplifies the operation, providing a potential option for decoupling energy harvesting and renewable chemical production. These merits benefit the scenarios where decentralization and intermittent power are key factors. This perspective aims to provide an overview of recent progress in homogeneous CO2ER. We introduce firstly the fundamentals chemistry of the homogeneous CO2ER, followed by a summary of the crucial factors and the important criteria broadly employed for evaluating the performance. We then highlight the recent advances in the most widely explored transition-metal coordinate complexes for the C1 and multicarbon (C2+) products from homogeneous CO2ER. Finally, we summarize the remaining challenges and opportunities for developing homogeneous electrocatalysts for efficient CO2ER. This perspective is expected to favor the rational design of efficient homogeneous electrocatalysts for selective CO2ER toward renewable fuels and feedstocks.

Sustainable Aerobic Allylic C-H Bond Oxidation with Heterogeneous Iron Catalyst

Emerging techniques are revolutionizing the realm of chemical synthesis by introducing new avenues for C-H bond functionalization, which have been exploited for the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, natural compounds, and functional materials. Allylic C-H bond oxidation of alkenes serves as possibly the most employed C-H bond functionalization reaction. However, sustainable and selective approaches remain scarce, and the majority of the existing conditions still hinge on hazardous oxidants or costly metal catalysts. In this context, we introduce a heterogeneous iron catalyst that addresses the above-mentioned concerns by showcasing the aerobic oxidation of steroids, terpenes, and simple olefins to the corresponding enone products. This novel method provides a powerful tool for the arsenal of allylic C-H bond oxidation while minimizing the environmental concerns.

Selective Electrocatalytic Degradation of Ether-Containing Polymers

Leveraging electrochemistry to degrade robust polymeric materials has the potential to impact society's growing issue of plastic waste. Herein, we develop an electrocatalytic oxidative degradation of polyethers and poly(vinyl ethers) via electrochemically mediated hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) followed by oxidative polymer degradation promoted by molecular oxygen. We investigated the selectivity and efficiency of this method, finding our conditions to be highly selective for polymers with hydridic, electron-rich C-H bonds. We leveraged this reactivity to degrade polyethers and poly(vinyl ethers) in the presence of polymethacrylates and polyacrylates with complete selectivity. Furthermore, this method made polyacrylates degradable by incorporation of ether units into the polymer backbone. We quantified degradation products, identifying up to 36 mol % of defined oxidation products, including acetic acid, formic acid, and acetaldehyde, and we extended this method to degrade a polyether-based polyurethane in a green solvent. This work demonstrates a facile, electrochemically-driven route to degrade polymers containing ether functionalities.

A Universal Electrochemical Synthetic Strategy for the Direct Assembly of Single-Atom Catalysts

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have been one of the frontiers in the field of catalysis in recent years owing to their high atomic utilization and unique electronic structure. To facilitate the practical application of single-atom, it is vital to develop a sustainable, facile single-atom preparation method with mass production potential. Herein, a universal one-step electrochemical synthesis strategy is proposed, and various metal-organic framework-supported SACs (including Pt, Au, Ir, Pd, Ru, Mo, Rh, and W) are straightforwardly obtained by simply replacing the guest metal precursors. As a proof-of-concept, the electrosynthetic Pt-based catalysts exhibit outstanding activity and stability in the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). This study not only enriches the single-atom synthesis methodology, but also extends the scenario of electrochemical synthesis, opening up new avenues for the design of advanced electro-synthesized catalysts.

Carbon-Carbon Bond Cleavage for Late-Stage Functionalization

Late-stage functionalization (LSF) introduces functional group or structural modification at the final stage of the synthesis of natural products, drugs, and complex compounds. It is anticipated that late-stage functionalization would improve drug discovery's effectiveness and efficiency and hasten the creation of various chemical libraries. Consequently, late-stage functionalization of natural products is a productive technique to produce natural product derivatives, which significantly impacts chemical biology and drug development. Carbon-carbon bonds make up the fundamental framework of organic molecules. Compared with the carbon-carbon bond construction, the carbon-carbon bond activation can directly enable molecular editing (deletion, insertion, or modification of atoms or groups of atoms) and provide a more efficient and accurate synthetic strategy. However, the efficient and selective activation of unstrained carbon-carbon bonds is still one of the most challenging projects in organic synthesis. This review encompasses the strategies employed in recent years for carbon-carbon bond cleavage by explicitly focusing on their applicability in late-stage functionalization. This review expands the current discourse on carbon-carbon bond cleavage in late-stage functionalization reactions by providing a comprehensive overview of the selective cleavage of various types of carbon-carbon bonds. This includes C-C(sp), C-C(sp2), and C-C(sp3) single bonds; carbon-carbon double bonds; and carbon-carbon triple bonds, with a focus on catalysis by transition metals or organocatalysts. Additionally, specific topics, such as ring-opening processes involving carbon-carbon bond cleavage in three-, four-, five-, and six-membered rings, are discussed, and exemplar applications of these techniques are showcased in the context of complex bioactive molecules or drug discovery. This review aims to shed light on recent advancements in the field and propose potential avenues for future research in the realm of late-stage carbon-carbon bond functionalization.

Sustainable application of electrocatalytic and photo-electrocatalytic oxidation systems for water and wastewater treatment: a review

Wastewater treatment and reuse have risen as a solution to the water crisis plaguing the world. Global warming-induced climate change, population explosion and fast depletion of groundwater resources are going to exacerbate the present global water problems for the forthcoming future. In this scenario, advanced electrochemical oxidation process (EAOP) utilising electrocatalytic (EC) and photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) technologies have caught hold of the interest of the scientific community. The interest stems from the global water management plans to scale down centralised water and wastewater treatment systems to decentralised and semicentralised treatment systems for better usage efficiency and less resource wastage. In an age of rising water pollution caused by contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), EC and PEC systems were found to be capable of optimal mineralisation of these pollutants rendering them environmentally benign. The present review treads into the conventional electrochemical treatment systems to identify their drawbacks and analyses the scope of the EC and PEC to mitigate them. Probable electrode materials, potential catalysts and optimal operational conditions for such applications were also examined. The review also discusses the possible retrospective application of EC and PEC as point-of-use and point-of-entry treatment systems during the transition from conventional centralised systems to decentralised and semi-centralised water and wastewater treatment systems.

Electroreductive Cross-Electrophile Coupling (eXEC) Reactions

Electrochemistry utilizes electrons as a potent, controllable, and traceless alternative to chemical oxidants or reductants, and typically offers a more sustainable option for achieving selective organic synthesis. Recently, the merger of electrochemistry with readily available electrophiles has been recognized as a viable and increasingly popular methodology for efficiently constructing challenging C-C and C-heteroatom bonds in a sustainable manner for complex organic molecules. In this mini-review, we have systematically summarized the most recent advances in electroreductive cross-electrophile coupling (eXEC) reactions during the last decade. Our focus has been on readily available electrophiles, including aryl and alkyl organic (pseudo)halides, as well as small molecules such as CO2 , SO2 , and D2 O.

Organocatalytic C-H Functionalization of Simple Alkanes

The direct functionalization of inert C(sp3 )-H bonds to form carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds offers vast potential for chemical synthesis and therefore receives increasing attention. At present, most successes come from strategies using metal catalysts/reagents or photo/electrochemical processes. The use of organocatalysis for this purpose remains scarce, especially when dealing with challenging C-H bonds such as those from simple alkanes. Here we disclose the first organocatalytic direct functionalization/acylation of inert C(sp3 )-H bonds of completely unfunctionalized alkanes. Our approach involves N-heterocyclic carbene catalyst-mediated carbonyl radical intermediate generation and coupling with simple alkanes (through the corresponding alkyl radical intermediates generated via a hydrogen atom transfer process). Unreactive C-H bonds are widely present in fossil fuel feedstocks, commercially important organic polymers, and complex molecules such as natural products. Our present study shall inspire a new avenue for quick functionalization of these molecules under the light- and metal-free catalytic conditions.

Photoelectrocatalyzed undirected C-H trifluoromethylation of arenes: catalyst evaluation and scope

During the last few years, photoelectrocatalysis has evolved as an increasingly viable tool for molecular synthesis. Despite several recent reports on the undirected C-H functionalization of arenes, thus far, a detailed comparison of different catalysts is still missing. To address this, more than a dozen different mediators were employed in the trifluoromethylation of (hetero-)arenes to compare them in their efficacies.

Metal-free electrochemical dihydroxylation of unactivated alkenes

Herein, a metal-free electrochemical dihydroxylation of unactivated alkenes is described. The transformation proceeds smoothly under mild conditions with a broad range of unactivated alkenes, providing valuable and versatile dihydroxylated products in moderate to good yields without the addition of costly transition metals and stoichiometric amounts of chemical oxidants. Moreover, this method can be applied to a range of natural products and pharmaceutical derivatives, further demonstrating its synthetic utility. Mechanistic studies have revealed that iodohydrin and epoxide intermediate are formed during the reaction process.

Electrochemical Late-Stage Functionalization

Late-stage functionalization (LSF) constitutes a powerful strategy for the assembly or diversification of novel molecular entities with improved physicochemical or biological activities. LSF can thus greatly accelerate the development of medicinally relevant compounds, crop protecting agents, and functional materials. Electrochemical molecular synthesis has emerged as an environmentally friendly platform for the transformation of organic compounds. Over the past decade, electrochemical late-stage functionalization (eLSF) has gained major momentum, which is summarized herein up to February 2023.

Continuous Flow Electrochemistry Enables Practical and Site-Selective C-H Oxidation

The selective oxygenation of ubiquitous C(sp3 )-H bonds remains a highly sought-after method in both academia and the chemical industry for constructing functionalized organic molecules. However, it is extremely challenging to selectively oxidize a certain C(sp3 )-H bond to afford alcohols due to the presence of multiple C(sp3 )-H bonds with similar strength and steric environment in organic molecules, and the alcohol products being prone to further oxidation. Herein, we present a practical and cost-efficient electrochemical method for the highly selective monooxygenation of benzylic C(sp3 )-H bonds using continuous flow reactors. The electrochemical reactions produce trifluoroacetate esters that are resistant to further oxidation but undergo facile hydrolysis during aqueous workup to form benzylic alcohols. The method exhibits a broad scope and exceptional site selectivity and requires no catalysts or chemical oxidants. Furthermore, the electrochemical method demonstrates excellent scalability by producing 115 g of one of the alcohol products. The high site selectivity of the electrochemical method originates from its unique mechanism to cleave benzylic C(sp3 )-H bonds through sequential electron/proton transfer, rather than the commonly employed hydrogen atom transfer (HAT).

Wireless Electrochemical Reactor for Accelerated Exploratory Study of Electroorganic Synthesis

Electrosynthesis is an emerging tool to construct value-added fine chemicals under mild and sustainable conditions. However, the complex apparatus required impedes the facile development of new electrochemistry in the laboratory. Herein, we proposed and demonstrated the concept of wireless electrochemistry (Wi-eChem) based on wireless power transfer technology. The core of this concept is the dual-function wireless electrochemical magnetic stirrer that provides an electrolysis driving force and mixing simultaneously in a miniaturized form factor. This Wi-eChem system allowed electrochemists to execute electrochemical reactions in a manner similar to traditional organic chemistry without handling wire connections. The controllability, reusability, and versatility were validated with a series of modern electrosynthesis reactions, including electrodecarboxylative etherification, electroreductive olefin-ketone coupling, and electrochemical nickel-catalyzed oxygen atom transfer reaction. Its remarkably simplified operation enabled its facile integration into a fully automated robotic synthesis platform to achieve autonomous parallel electrosynthesis screening.

Hole Catalysis of Cycloaddition Reactions: How to Activate and Control Oxidant Upconversion in Radical-Cationic Diels-Alder Reactions

In order to use holes as catalysts, the oxidized product should be able to transfer the hole to a fresh reactant. For that, the hole-catalyzed reaction must increase the oxidation potential along the reaction path, i.e., lead to "hole upconversion." If this thermodynamic requirement is satisfied, a hole injected via one-electron oxidation can persist through multiple propagation cycles and serve as a true catalyst. This work provides guidelines for the rational design of hole-catalyzed Diels-Alder (DA) reactions, the prototypical cycloaddition. After revealing the crucial role of hyperconjugation in the absence of hole upconversion in the parent DA reaction, we show how upconversion can be reactivated by proper substitution. For this purpose, we computationally evaluate the contrasting effects of substituents at the three possible positions in the two reactants. The occurrence and magnitude of hole upconversion depend strongly on the placement and nature of substituents. For example, donors at C1 in 1,3-butadiene shift the reaction to the hole-upconverted regime with an increased oxidation potential of up to 1.0 V. In contrast, hole upconversion in C2-substituted 1,3-butadienes is activated by acceptors with the oxidation potential increase up to 0.54 V. Dienophile substitution results in complex trends because the radical cation can be formed at either the dienophile or the diene. Hole upconversion is always present in the former scenario (up to 0.65 V). Finally, we report interesting stereoelectronic effects that can activate or deactivate upconversion via a conformational change.

The design of PINO-like hydrogen-atom-transfer catalysts

Phthalimide-N-oxyl (PINO) is a valuable hydrogen-atom-transfer (HAT) catalyst for selective C-H functionalization. To advance and optimize PINO-catalysed HAT reactions, researchers have been focused on modifying the phthalimide core structure. Despite much effort and some notable advances, the modifications to date have centred on optimization of a single parameter of the catalyst, such as reactivity, solubility or stability. Unfortunately, the optimization with respect to one parameter is often associated with a worsening of the others. The derivation of a single catalyst structure with optimal performance across multiple parameters has therefore remained elusive. Here we present an analysis of the structure-activity relationships of PINO and its derivatives as HAT catalysts, which we hope will stimulate further development of PINO-catalysed HAT reactions and, ultimately, lead to much improved catalysts for real-world applications.

A Rhombus-Like Tetrameric Vanadoniobate Containing Pseudo-Sandwich-Type {Li ⊂ V2O8(Nb5O14)2} and Its Electrocatalytic Activity for the Selective Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol

Ongoing research on V-containing polyoxoniobates (PONbs) is driven by their diverse structures and potential applications. Although Lindqvist-type {Nb6O19} is a widely used building block in PONbs, vanadoniobates based on {Nb6O19} and/or its derivatives are still very limited. Herein, a discrete vanadoniobate, LiNa14K11[Li2 ⊂ VIV8Nb32O110]·45H2O (1), has been synthesized by a hydrothermal method, which shows a rhombus-like tetrameric structure composed of two {V2O6(Nb6O19)} and two {Li ⊂ V2O8(Nb5O14)2} subunits derived from {Nb6O19}. Notably, the {Li ⊂ V2O8(Nb5O14)2} subunit has an interesting pseudo-sandwich-type structure, where a {LiV2O8} belt is coordinated by two monolacunary {Nb5O14} molecules and the central site of the cluster is occupied by Li+. Considering that 1 has both basic hexaniobates and redox active V centers, 1 was used as a noble metal-free electrocatalyst for the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde, achieving complete conversion of benzyl alcohol with 94% selectivity for benzaldehyde in 3 h under ambient conditions without using any alkaline additives. Moreover, the catalytic performance of 1 remained largely unchanged after four cycles.