Sustainable electrochemical cross-dehydrogenative coupling of 4-quinolones and diorganyl diselenides

Abstract An environmentally friendly method for the synthesis of 3-organylselenyl quinolones through the electrochemical cross-dehydrogenative coupling of 4-quinolones and diorganyl diselenides was developed. As a green, atom economic and self-separating process, the present reaction requires neither external oxidants nor electrolytes, forming a recyclable catalytic system.