Novel Studies of Organic Electrosynthesis

Dear Colleagues,

Organic synthesis arguably represents the most important discipline for the bottom-up assembly and late-stage diversification of molecular compounds with transformative applications to inter alia medicinal chemistry, drug development, and material sciences, as well as the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The complexity of electrochemistry and the physical properties of electrons are extraordinary and very different from other chemical reagents. Furthermore, the equipment needed to practice electrosynthesis has become readily available only since the early 1900s. These are the barriers that have prevented the acceptance of molecular electrosynthesis until very recently. Particularly, organic electrochemistry has, in recent years, overcome some of its previous limitations as a niche technique.

The pioneering contributions of Faraday’s hydrolysis of acetic acid, Kolbe’s electrochemical decarboxylative dimerization, Hickeling’s proposal of potential-controlled electrolysis, Simon’s fluorination process, Monsanto’s adiponitrile processes, Yoshida’s concept of electroauxiliaries, Steckan’s indirect electrolysis, BASF Lysmeral process (paired electrolysis), and the production of lead tetra-ethyl anti-knock compounds have enabled electrosynthesis to gain significant momentum for sustainable electro-organic syntheses.

The resurgence of this strategy has received great attention as a powerful green tool for synthesis, affording less waste production, less chemicals spent, and often fewer reaction steps than conventional methods. Functional group interconversion and C–C bond generation by the imposition of a proper electrode potential is essentially what lies behind organic electrosynthesis processes. Paired electrochemical reaction, indirect electrosynthesis, electrochemical microreactors, and the use of ionic liquids are some of the highlighted means that contribute to optimization of the overall process. The necessity to use specific organic solvents, combined with supporting electrolytes, is one of the main limitations to be overcome to render the electrochemical process more economically feasible when compared to non-electrochemical processes. Numerous examples from the bench scale to industrial routes, including contributions of organic electrosynthesis to green chemistry, are expected to be well covered throughout this Special Issue. Thus, we focus on the following topics:

• Anodic functionalization of organic compounds;
• Cathodic conversion of organic compounds;
• Electrogenerated acids;
• Electrogenerated bases;
• Ionic liquids (ILs);
• Indirect electrosynthesis;
• Industrial electrosynthesis;
• Dual electrocatalysis.

Prof. Dr. César Augusto Correia de Sequeira
Guest Editor

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