A room-temperature-stable electride and its reactivity: Reductive benzene/pyridine couplings and solvent-free Birch reductions

A room-temperature-stable electride and its reactivity: Reductive benzene/pyridine couplings and solvent-free Birch reductions Organic synthesis is playing underpinning roles in industries and academic research. But from a sustainability perspective, current organic synthesis protocols are criticized for the usage of petrochemical-derived solvents and precious-metal reagents. Herein, we report an unprecedented facile preparation of an enabling reagent, namely a room-temperature-stable electride (RoSE). Utilizing the RoSE reagent, we phase out transition-metal reagents and solvents from two notoriously unsustainable organic reactions: (1) benzene and pyridine C-H activation and C-C coupling and (2) arene Birch reduction.