Electrocatalytic debromination of open-chain and cyclic dibromides in ionic liquids with cobalt(II)salen complex as mediator

Temperature-Controlled Chemoselective Couplings of Alkyl Halides with Disulfides

An unprecedented, transition metal-free S-alkylation of disulfides with alkyl halides is developed for the first time, providing an efficient and green synthesis of thioethers and even thioesters. Notably, this new method allows the full utilization of both sulfur atoms of disulfides under chemical reductant-free conditions and can be easily scaled up in gram scale, showing good practical value. Control experiments suggested that water, unprecedentedly, serves as the terminal reductant of the whole reaction. Moreover, controllable N-alkyl thiopyridones can be readily obtained at a much lower reaction temperature from the same starting materials, suggesting a kinetic control of N-alkylation vs a thermodynamic control of the S-alkylation process may be involved in the reaction. Interestingly, a halo anion-mediated alkyl group migration from N-alkyl thiopyridones to S-alkyl pyridyl thioethers was observed, suggesting that the reaction may undergo a new and novel reaction mechanism.

Advances on the Merger of Electrochemistry and Transition Metal Catalysis for Organic Synthesis

Synthetic organic electrosynthesis has grown in the past few decades by achieving many valuable transformations for synthetic chemists. Although electrocatalysis has been popular for improving selectivity and efficiency in a wide variety of energy-related applications, in the last two decades, there has been much interest in electrocatalysis to develop conceptually novel transformations, selective functionalization, and sustainable reactions. This review discusses recent advances in the combination of electrochemistry and homogeneous transition-metal catalysis for organic synthesis. The enabling transformations, synthetic applications, and mechanistic studies are presented alongside advantages as well as future directions to address the challenges of metal-catalyzed electrosynthesis.

Electrocatalysis as an enabling technology for organic synthesis

Electrochemistry has recently gained increased attention as a versatile strategy for achieving challenging transformations at the forefront of synthetic organic chemistry. Electrochemistry's unique ability to generate highly reactive radical and radical ion intermediates in a controlled fashion under mild conditions has inspired the development of a number of new electrochemical methodologies for the preparation of valuable chemical motifs. Particularly, recent developments in electrosynthesis have featured an increased use of redox-active electrocatalysts to further enhance control over the selective formation and downstream reactivity of these reactive intermediates. Furthermore, electrocatalytic mediators enable synthetic transformations to proceed in a manner that is mechanistically distinct from purely chemical methods, allowing for the subversion of kinetic and thermodynamic obstacles encountered in conventional organic synthesis. This review highlights key innovations within the past decade in the area of synthetic electrocatalysis, with emphasis on the mechanisms and catalyst design principles underpinning these advancements. A host of oxidative and reductive electrocatalytic methodologies are discussed and are grouped according to the classification of the synthetic transformation and the nature of the electrocatalyst.

Synthetic Organic Electrochemical Methods Since 2000: On the Verge of a Renaissance

Electrochemistry represents one of the most intimate ways of interacting with molecules. This review discusses advances in synthetic organic electrochemistry since 2000. Enabling methods and synthetic applications are analyzed alongside innate advantages as well as future challenges of electroorganic chemistry.