Kolbe coupling radical addition reactions

Further applications of the radical-induced reactions in the Kolbe decarboxylation reactions involve hydrogen abstraction and coupling with in situ generated radical species from additives. For example, hydrogen abstraction by radical intermediates derived from paraconic acids (XLVIII) occurs selectively in MeOH-MeONa-Fe powder—(Pt) and MeOH—MeONa—(C) systems [Eq. (22)] [20]. The effect of Fe powder is significant since butenolides (L) are obtained exclusively in an MeOH-MeONa-(Pt) system. 

Kolbe electrolysis is a powerful method of generating radicals for synthetic applications. These radicals can combine to symmetrical dimers (chap 4), to unsymmetrical coupling products (chap 5), or can be added to double bonds (chap 6) (Eq. 1, path a). The reaction is performed in the laboratory and in the technical scale. Depending on the reaction conditions (electrode material, pH of the electrolyte, current density, additives) and structural parameters of the carboxylates, the intermediate radical can be further oxidized to a carbocation (Eq. 1, path b). The cation can rearrange, undergo fragmentation and subsequently solvolyse or eliminate to products. This path is frequently called non-Kolbe electrolysis. In this way radical and carbenium-ion derived products can be obtained from a wide variety of carboxylic acids. 

Another advantage of the synthesis by mixed Kolbe electrolysis is that polar groups in the carboxylic acid are tolerated in radical coupling. This makes additional protection-deprotection steps unneccessary, which are often needed in polar CC-bond forming reactions and can make these approaches less attractive in such cases. 

The alkyl groups of two identical carboxylic acids can be coupled to symmetrical dimers in the presence of a fair number of functional groups (equation 1). Since free radicals are the reactive intermediates, polar substituents need not be protected. This saves the steps for protection and deprotection that are necessary in such cases when electrophilic or nucleophilic C—C bond-forming reactions are involved. Furthermore, carboxylic acids are available in a wide variety from natural or petrochemical sources, or can be readily prepared from a large variety of precursors. Compared to chemicd methods for the construction of symmetrical compounds, such as nucleophilic substitution or addition, decomposition of azo compounds or of diacyl peroxides, these advantages make the Kolbe electrolysis the method of choice for the synthesis of symmetrical target molecules. No other chemical method is available that allows the decarboxylative dimerization of carboxylic acids. 

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