Electrochemical C–N Bond Formation for Sustainable Amine Synthesis

Abstract

C–N bond-forming reactions represent an important synthetic class because amine derivatives play crucial roles in various applications in biology and synthetic chemistry. Recently, electrochemical C–N bonding methods have attracted attention due to several advantages such as their simplicity and possibility of low-cost scale up. Meanwhile, due to severe environmental problems such as global warming and air pollution associated with non-sustainable fossil fuel-based technologies, sustainable synthesis of chemicals and fuels is indispensable. In this review, electrochemical C–N bonding reactions (e.g., amino acid synthesis from biomass, amides from CO2) are discussed in detail because of the environmentally benign advantages of these methods. Moreover, the mechanism of C–N bonding reactions and future directions to improve the efficiency and selectivity are described.