Recent advances in the electrochemical hydrogenation of unsaturated hydrocarbons

Abstract

Electrochemical hydrogenation of unsaturated organic compounds is emerging as a very promising alternative to the conventional transition-metal-catalyzed transformation as it avoids the preparation, transportation, and storage of pressured molecule hydrogen (H2). Besides the direct usage of the on-site-generated H2 on the cathode surface, the electrochemical means also provide opportunities for novel hydrogenation reactions of unsaturated hydrocarbons, especially electrochemical Birch reduction. Another attractive aspect of such an approach is the possibility of highly selective deuteration of unsaturated hydrocarbons with the readily available, cost-effective deuterium source, D2O.