Toward green syntheses of carboxylates: Considerations of mechanisms and reactions at the electrodes for electrocarboxylation of organohalides and alkenes

Electrosynthesis and carbon dioxide (CO2) utilization both have gained interest in recent years due to the efforts to alleviate the climate crisis. Significant progress in the field of electrochemical carboxylation using CO2 or electrocarboxylation of organic substrates, particularly organohalides and alkenes, has been made in the past decade. Different components of electrocarboxylation experimental setup as well as the understandings of the mechanism play an important role in the success of the carboxylate syntheses. In this review, overview of the proposed mechanisms and the electrochemical setup are described. The significance of electrochemical components, such as the effect of different cathodes, sacrificial anode materials, and other additives, are explained. The examples of electrocarboxylation for both organohalides and olefins are provided. Lastly, the current trends in the field and future directions are discussed.