Cathodic crossed hydrocoupling XIII. Synthetic aspect of the cathodic crossed hydrocoupling reaction of aliphatic carbonyl compounds with electrophiles in aqueous sulfuric acid

Abstract

For the purpose of organic electrosynthesis, the cathodic crossed hydrocoupling of aliphatic carbonyl compounds with some electrophiles was investigated. When mixtures of carbonyl compounds (such as ketone and aldehyde) and electrophiles (such as activated olefin, pyridine, and cyanamino compound) were electrolysed with various kinds of cathodes in aqueous sulfuric acid, these compounds were coupled reductively to give many useful products in the field of synthetic organic chemistry. In most of the couples of carbonyl compounds and electrophiles, the reduction potentials of the formers were more positive than those of the latters under the electrolysis condition. The yield, current efficiency, and selectivity of products depended on electrolytic conditions, especially cathode material.