Electrocatalysis Technologies for Organic Synthesis

Dear Colleagues,

Since its inception in the 19th century, electrochemistry has matured to serve a variety of applications, ranging from energy storage to metallurgy to chemical synthesis. The success of electrochemistry in these diverse contexts can be credited to the unique capabilities afforded by electrochemical systems. Principally, the use of an external applied potential provides access to reaction pathways and chemical intermediates that would otherwise be difficult to employ. Additionally, electrochemical systems often afford mild conditions and the potential for scalability, supporting their use in the industrial synthesis of bulk and fine chemicals.

Electrochemistry has recently garnered increased attention as a versatile strategy for achieving challenging transformations at the forefront of synthetic organic chemistry. 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 highly reactive radical and radical ion intermediates. Furthermore, electrocatalytic mediators enable synthetic transformations to proceed in a manner that is mechanistically distinct from purely chemical methods, enabling the subversion of the kinetic and thermodynamic obstacles encountered in conventional organic synthesis. This Special Issue will try to highlight key innovations within the past decade in the area of synthetic electrocatalysis, with an emphasis on the mechanisms and catalyst design principles underpinning these advancements. Emphasis will be placed on:

• Electroreductive methodologies.
• Activation of alkenes with halogens.
• Alfa-functionalization of nitriles and carbonyls.
• Periodate as mediator.
• Oxidation of sulfur functional groups.
• Alcohol oxidation.
• Fluorination of unactivated C)-H bonds.
• Nitroxyl mediators.
• Oxidation of amines and carbamates.
• Generation of nitrogen-centered radicals.
• Phthalimide N-oxyl radical (PINO) and quinuclidine radical cation as HAT agents.
• Dehydrogenation mediated by DDQ
• Nitrogen centered radical cation as electron transfer agents.
• Organic mediators
• Manganese, iron, copper, palladium, ruthenium, iridium, cobalt, nickel and rhodium as mediators.
• C-S and C-P bond formation.
• Paired electrolysis.
• Carbon versus platinum electrolysis.
• Heterogeneous electrocatalysis.
• Bioelectrochemistry.
• Electrophotocatalysis.

Prof. Dr. César Augusto Correia de Sequeira
Guest Editor

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• Electrocatalysis
• Bioelectrochemistry
• Anodic oxidation
• Cathodic reduction
• Paired electrolysis
• Organic electrosynthesis
• Radical ion intermediates
• Electrophotocatalysis
• Organic mediators
• Asymmetric catalysis