Electroreduction amides

The electrochemical results suggested to explore the possibility of creating a C-C bond between the electrogenerated a-carbanion fi and carbon nucleophiles. Results of practical importance have hitherto been obtained upon electroreduction of 2-bromoisobutyramides in acetonitrile at Hg or Pt cathodes, in the presence of carbon dioxide and an alkylating agent. The enolate-amide fi undergoes quantitative carboxy-alkylation, to yield ester amides of 2,2-dimethylmalonic acid (ref. 16). 

Electroreduction of aliphatic amides in the presence of chlorotrimethylsilane gives coupling products and this reaction is useful for the synthesis of a-amino ketones (Scheme 22) [41]. In this reaction, the formation of an Mg salt promotes the coupling of two anion radical centers. 

Electroreduction of the cobalt(II) salt in a mixture of either dimethylform-amide-pyridine or acetonitrile-pyridine as solvent, often in the presence of bipyridine, produces a catalytically active cobalt(I) complex which is believed to be cobalt(I) bromide with attached bipyridine ligands (or pyridine moieties in the absence of bipyridine). As quickly as it is electrogenerated, the active catalyst reduces an aryl halide, after which the resulting aryl radical can undergo coupling with an acrylate ester [141], a different aryl halide (to form a biaryl compound) [142], an activated olefin [143], an allylic carbonate [144], an allylic acetate [144, 145], or a... 

The electroreduction of iV-(haloethyl)amides 8 at a mercury cathode in DMF or acetonitrile gives rise to the corresponding iV-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)amides 9 in good to excellent yields (equation 5)25. The electrochemical reduction of fluorinated fullerene has been reported26. 

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