The Electrochemical cis-Chlorination of Alkenes

Electrocatalytic continuous flow chlorinations with iodine(I/III) mediators

Electrochemistry offers tunable, cost effective and environmentally friendly alternatives to carry out redox reactions with electrons as traceless reagents. The use of organoiodine compounds as electrocatalysts is largely underdeveloped, despite their widespread application as powerful and versatile reagents. Mechanistic data reveal that the hexafluoroisopropanol assisted iodoarene oxidation is followed by a stepwise chloride ligand exchange for the catalytic generation of the dichloroiodoarene mediator. Here, we report an environmentally benign iodine(I/III) electrocatalytic platform for the in situ generation of dichloroiodoarenes for different reactions such as mono- and dichlorinations as well as chlorocyclisations within a continuous flow setup.

Electrochemical Oxidative Sulfonylation-Azidation of Alkenes

A novel electrochemical oxidative sulfonylation-azidation of alkenes is accomplished by using sulfonyl hydrazide and trimethylsilyl azide (TMSN3) for the one-pot and green synthesis of β-azidoarylsulfone, which involves the direct construction of new C-S and C-N bonds. Notably, neither exogenous oxidants/additives nor metal catalysts are required for this method. In addition, this electrochemical strategy features mild conditions and wide substrate scope and has been proved to be a radical pathway by mechanistic studies.

Recent Progresses in the Preparation of Chlorinated Molecules: Electrocatalysis and Photoredox Catalysis in the Spotlight

Among halogenated molecules, those containing chlorine atoms are fundamental in many areas such as pharmaceuticals, polymers, agrochemicals and natural metabolites. Despite the fact that many reactions have been developed to install chlorine on organic molecules, most of them rely on toxic and hazardous chlorinating reagents as well as harsh conditions. In an attempt to move towards more sustainable approaches, photoredox catalysis and electrocatalysis have emerged as powerful alternatives to traditional methods. In this review, we collect the most recent and significant examples of visible-light- or current-mediated chlorination published in the last five years.