Electrochemical Tandem Olefination and Hydrogenation Reaction with Ammonia
Xiaofeng Zhang1, Runze Jiang1, Xu Cheng1,2,3
1Institute of Chemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Organic Materials, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Chemistry Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
Abstract:
An electrochemical Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons/hydrogenation tandem reaction was achieved using ammonia as electron and proton donors. The reaction could give two-carbon-elongated ester and nitrile from aldehyde or ketones directly. This reaction could proceed with a catalytic amount of base or even without a base. The ammonia provides both the electron and proton for this tandem reaction and enables the catalyst-free hydrogenation of an α,β-unsaturated HWE intermediate. More than 40 examples were reported, and functional groups, including heterocycles and hydroxyl, were tolerated.
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