Selective electrochemical oxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons and preparation of mono/multi-carbonyl compounds

A selective electrochemical oxidation was developed under mild condition. Various mono-carbonyl and multi-carbonyl compounds can be prepared from different aromatic hydrocarbons with moderate to excellent yield and selectivity by virtue of this electrochemical oxidation. The produced carbonyl compounds can be further transformed into α-ketoamides, homoallylic alcohols and oximes in a one-pot reaction. In particular, a series of α-ketoamides were prepared in a one-pot continuous electrolysis. Mechanistic studies showed that 2,2,2-trifluoroethan-1-ol (TFE) can interact with catalyst species and generate the corresponding hydrogen-bonding complex to enhance the electrochemical oxidation performance.