Sustainable and efficient electrosynthesis of naproxen using carbon dioxide and ionic liquids

The use of CO₂ as a C1 carbon source for synthesis is raising increasing attention both as a strategy to bring value to carbon dioxide capture technologies and a sustainable approach towards chemicals and energy. The presented results focus on the application of electrochemical methods to incorporate CO₂ into organic compounds using ionic liquids as electrolytes, which provides a green alternative to the formation of C-C bonds. In this sense, the current manuscript shows that Naproxen (6-Methoxy-α-methyl-2-naphthaleneacetic acid) can be synthetizing in high yield (89%) and conversion rates (90%) through an electrocarboxylation process using CO₂ and ionic liquids. The role of the cathode and solvent, which can potentially enhance the synthesis, is also discussed. The "green" route described in the current work would open a new sustainable strategy for the electrochemical production of pharmaceutical compounds.