Decarboxylative Coupling of α‐Keto Acids with ortho‐Phenylenediamines Promoted by an Electrochemical Method in Aqueous Media

Abstract An electrochemical method for the decarboxylative coupling of α ‐keto acids with ortho ‐phenylenediamines was developed. The reaction proceeded smoothly in aqueous solution under air and metal catalyst‐free conditions to afford 2‐substituted benzimidazoles in good yields. Benzothiazoles could also be synthesized by this protocol. magnified image