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Updated: Apr 2, 2026
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Reductive Electropolymerization of a Vinyl-containing Poly-pyridyl Complex on Glassy Carbon and Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide Electrodes
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Electrolyte-Guided Selectivity Unlocks Pathway Control in Electrochemical Olefin Functionalization
Daniel Gordon-Levitan1, Dmitrii Bushmin1, Jonathan R Church2
1Department of Molecular Chemistry and Materials Science, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel.
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|April 1, 2026
Summary
The supporting electrolyte
Area of Science:
- Organic chemistry
- Electrochemistry
- Materials Science
Background:
- Organic electrosynthesis enables sustainable molecular construction.
- Controlling reactive intermediates in electrochemistry is challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate electrolyte control over electro-reductive olefin coupling selectivity.
- To reveal distinct reaction pathways dictated by electrolyte choice.
Main Methods:
- Electrochemical methods including cyclic voltammetry (CV).
- Spectroscopic techniques: ssNMR, EPR.
- Surface analysis: SEM.
- Computational modeling: DFT.
- Radical trapping studies.
Main Results:
- Ammonium salts yield linear products via solution-phase radical addition.
- Lithium salts produce branched products through surface-confined coupling.
- Electrolyte identity dictates radical intermediate spin localization and reaction pathway.
Conclusions:
- Electrolyte-controlled interfacial organization is key to selectivity in electrosynthesis.
- This platform provides access to pharmaceutical scaffolds.
- New insights into polar hydrofunctionalization of olefins.
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