Insights into Cobalta(III/IV/II)-Electrocatalysis: Oxidation-Induced Reductive Elimination for Twofold C-H Activation

The merger of cobalt-catalyzed C-H activation and electrosynthesis provides new avenues for resource-economical molecular syntheses, unfortunately their reaction mechanisms remain poorly understood. Herein, we report the identification and full characterization of electrochemically generated high-valent cobalt(III/IV) complexes as crucial intermediates in electrochemical cobalt-catalyzed C-H oxygenations. Detailed mechanistic studies provided support for an oxidatively-induced reductive elimination via highly-reactive cobalt(IV) intermediates. These key insights set the stage for unprecedented cobaltaelectro two-fold C-H/C-H activation.