Electrochemical Synthesis of Building Blocks with a Structure Inspired by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

A mild, metal- and additive-free, inexpensive electrochemical decarboxylation of arylalkanecarboxylic acids, including all the most important nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs based on such a framework, is discussed. An efficient, nonaqueous, and essentially no-chromatography workup procedure enhances the attractiveness of the disclosed solution. This methodology can facilitate scaffold diversification by functionalization of NSAIDs or by providing easy access to building blocks from a simple arylalkanecarboxylic acid feedstock.