Electrochemical Oxidative Cross-Coupling and Annulation for Functionalized Heterocycles

This chapter outlines the construction of high-value nitrogen-containing or selenium-substituted heterocyclic compounds under direct electrolysis conditions. It begins by introducing the fundamental principles of organic electrochemical synthesis and provides a detailed review of the research progress by Ruan’s group in the electrochemical synthesis of nitrogen-containing or selenium-substituted heterocyclic compounds. Utilizing various inexpensive and readily available reaction substrates, a series of efficient and environmentally friendly intermolecular cyclization reactions have been developed using direct electrolysis methods, including dehydrogenative coupling reactions and cyclization strategies. Compared to traditional methods, this strategy offers mild conditions and eliminates the need for additional oxidants and transition metal catalysts. The novel cyclization reactions achieved through electrochemistry provide a more efficient and environmentally friendly synthetic approach, avoiding the generation of significant by-products and enabling the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds that are challenging to access via traditional methods from simple substrates without prefunctionalization. Moreover, the later part of this chapter demonstrates the modification of these synthetic methods on peptide molecules to illustrate their practical applications.