Merging Electrocatalytic Alcohol Oxidation with C-N Bond Formation by Electrifying Metal-Ligand Cooperative Catalysts

The development of energy and atom efficiency processes is thought to play an important role for a sustainable chemical industry of the future. One opportunity could be the electrification of thermal processes to benefit from the inherent advantages of electrochemistry, such as safety, scalability, a cheap and traceless redox agent (electrons), and the possibility to directly control the energy input of a given reaction via the applied potential. Molecular electrocatalytic alcohol oxidation emerged as a powerful tool for energy efficient redox transformations with possible applications in both green synthesis and energy-relevant domains. Using transfer hydrogenation catalysts under electrochemical conditions was shown to be promising avenue in this respect, but is today limited in terms of substrate scope. Here, we reported the electrification of acceptor-less dehydrogenation catalysts for the coupling of alcohol oxidation with C-N bond formation. Imines are thus obtained with excellent selectivity and faradaic efficiency, showing a possibility route towards added-value products from simple building blocks. We hope that the successful electrification of such atom-efficient systems can contribute to a more energy efficient organic redox chemistry.