Electrochemical Reduction of Nitroarenes to Anilines under Mild Conditions

A facile and selective room-temperature reduction of nitroarenes to anilines has been achieved with good-to-excellent yields using an electrochemical reduction system with hydrazine hydrate. The electrochemical reduction proceeds under mild conditions for a diverse range of nitroarenes bearing various potentially sensitive functional groups. The successful execution of a gram-scale reaction confirms the practical utility of this reduction system. Moreover, the effective application of this method to the synthesis of biologically active compounds further demonstrates its versatility. This method applies electrochemistry to the reduction of nitro groups, thereby broadening the range of available methods for nitro group reduction.