An Iodide-mediated Anodic Amide Coupling

The ubiquity of amide bonds, present in natural products and common pharmaceuticals renders this functional group one of the most prevalent in organic chemistry. Despite its importance and a wide variety of existing methods for its formation, the latter still can be a challenge for classical activating reagents such as chloridating agents or carbodiimides. As the spent reagents often cannot be recycled, the development of more sustainable methods is highly desirable. Herein, we report an operationally simple and mild indirect electrochemical protocol to effect the condensation of carboxylic acids with amines, forming a wide variety of carboxamides.