Electrochemical Biomimetic Iron‐Catalyzed Benzylic C─H Bonds Hydroxylation

ABSTRACT Electrochemical synthesis has attracted considerable attention as a green synthetic technology in recent years, particularly in the domain of selective oxidation and reduction, which represents a significant yet ongoing challenge in the field. This protocol presents a biomimetic iron‐catalyzed electrochemical benzylic C─H bond hydroxylation through a water activation strategy, where in situ‐generated high‐valent iron‐oxo species mediate, enabling efficient and highly selective benzylic hydroxylation. The method exhibits excellent selectivity and broad functional group compatibility, applicable to primary, secondary, and tertiary benzylic C─H bonds, and suitable for late‐stage modification of bioactive molecules. Mechanistic studies highlight the efficacy of a dual‐control approach combining indirect electrolysis with a detached reaction layer to prevent direct substrate oxidation. This method offers a practical and green route to the synthesis of diverse benzyl alcohols.

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Publication Details

Journal
Angewandte Chemie
Published
2026-04-13
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.9980873
Primary Topic
Radical Photochemical Reactions
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Electrochemical Biomimetic Iron‐Catalyzed Benzylic C─H Bonds Hydroxylation

Chong Gao, Wentao Zhang, Youai Qiu, Min Liu et al.
Angewandte Chemie
Radical Photochemical Reactions
article

Electrochemical Biomimetic Iron‐Catalyzed Benzylic C─H Bonds Hydroxylation

Chong Gao, Wentao Zhang, Youai Qiu, Min Liu, Cui Zhang
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Electrochemical synthesis has attracted considerable attention as a green synthetic technology in recent years, particularly in the domain of selective oxidation and reduction, which represents a significant yet ongoing challenge in the field. This protocol presents a biomimetic iron‐catalyzed electrochemical benzylic C─H bond hydroxylation through a water activation strategy, where in situ‐generated high‐valent iron‐oxo species mediate, enabling efficient and highly selective benzylic hydroxylation. The method exhibits excellent selectivity and broad functional group compatibility, applicable to primary, secondary, and tertiary benzylic C─H bonds, and suitable for late‐stage modification of bioactive molecules. Mechanistic studies highlight the efficacy of a dual‐control approach combining indirect electrolysis with a detached reaction layer to prevent direct substrate oxidation. This method offers a practical and green route to the synthesis of diverse benzyl alcohols.

Angewandte Chemie
Nankai University (CN), State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering (CN), Zhejiang University of Technology (CN), Nanjing University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin City, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
Openalex Percentile: Top 16%
Radical Photochemical Reactions
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