Electrolyte‐Controlled Regiodivergent Continuous Flow Electroselenocyclisations
Supporting electrolytes, beyond traditionally serving as ionic conductors in electrochemistry, can influence regioselectivity in electrochemical synthesis by acting as base. We present a single-pass continuous flow electrolysis method enabling selective activation of diselenides and oximes to access seleno-substituted isoquinoline and isoindole derivatives. Mechanistic studies showed a radical pathway via iminoxyl radicals to isoindole N-oxides and an ionic mechanism leading to isoquinoline N-oxides. This process leverages N-activated neutral isoquinolinium products for diverse downstream modifications. Our findings highlight the untapped potential of supporting electrolytes in regiodivergent electrochemical transformations and provide a sustainable and scalable platform for continuous flow approaches for synthesising selenium-containing heterocycles with biological relevance.
Authors
- Sagar Arepally (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9083-4716)
- Thomas Wirth (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8990-0667)
- Hanaa Gieman
Institutions
- Cardiff University (GB)
- University of Wales (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Angewandte Chemie International Edition
- Published
- 2025-08-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202509811
- Citations
- 7
- Primary Topic
- Radical Photochemical Reactions
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 6.55
Funders
- Cardiff University
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University