Green organic conversion with H2O2: challenges and opportunities

Abstract

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), as a green oxidant, plays an important role in organic conversion reactions, such as cyclohexanone ammoximation and olefin oxidation. However, the production of H2O2 relies on the anthraquinone process, which is costly, complex, and typically done on clustered production. Furthermore, H2O2 is prone to decomposition or the generation of ineffective byproducts and unfavorable reactive groups, leading to low efficiency and waste of resources. Achieving the widespread application of H2O2 in green organic conversion reactions requires efficient utilization and low-cost on-site production of H2O2. Effective activation of H2O2 is the key to realizing efficient utilization of H2O2, which has been widely recognized. In addition, some emerging methods of on-site production of H2O2 are convenient and low-cost, which may gradually overcome the shortcomings of traditional methods in the future. In this review, we introduce common organic conversion reactions with H2O2, summarize the challenges of H2O2 activation, and review the progress on electrochemical, photoelectrochemical or photochemical H2O2 production. We also discuss the vision of organic conversion reactions via in-situ-generated H2O2.