Fe-electrocatalytic deoxygenative Giese reaction

A redox-neutral Fe-electrocatalytic deoxygenative Giese reaction is reported. Hydroxyl groups are among the most abundant functional groups, and thus, the development of efficient reactions for their conversion has significant importance in medicinal and process chemistry. Here, we present a redox-neutral Giese reaction via anodic oxidation to generate phosphonium ions in combination with a cathodic reduction to yield low-valent Fe-catalysts. This reaction represents a promising example of a redox-neutral reaction using an Fe-catalyst and electrochemistry. The results obtained in this study will facilitate the exploration of a wide range of novel reactions employing this redox cycle in the future.