Organic Chemistry: Current Research
Open Access

Abstract

Indispensable Applications of Electrochemical Techniques to Organic Synthetic Reactions: Enhancing Versatility and Sustainability

Jeffrey E. Dick and Daesung Chong

Because of the growing need for more versatile tools in synthetic reactions as well as industrially facile chemical synthesis techniques for the mass production of polymers and pharmaceuticals, a novel approach to the cleavage and coupling of new C-C bonds is crucial. Electrochemistry is a sustainable means of performing a chemical reaction at room temperature without excessive heating; it also offers the possibility of using inexpensive and environmentally benign cross coupling catalysts focused on iron complexes as the organometallic electron-transfer mediator. Several examples are indicated throughout this editorial to give an understanding of the applications of voltammetric techniques as synthetic tools. The role of mandatory high-energy organic methods such as reflux and week-long photolysis can be replaced by sustainable aspects of electrochemical operations using the electron as a proven reagent in synthetic chemistry