Nickel -mediated electroreduction

The tributyltin hydride-mediated carbon-carbon bond formation via radical addition and cyclization of alkyl halides with alkenes has often been a choice for construction of various organic molecules [1], However, the requirement for high-temperature initiators or photo initiation and the difficulties associated with purification of the products from tributyltin halides tend to limit the widespread use of these methods, despite the efforts to make the methods easier [Ic, 2], Recently, nickel-mediated radical additions and cyclizations have been introduced as promising alternatives to the tributyltin hydride methods. These are the nickel powder-acetic acid method for cyclization of haloamides to y-lactams, y -lactams and in-dolones, the borohydride exchange resin-nickel boride method for radical addition, nickel-catalyzed electroreductive cyclization and nickel-catalyzed Kharasch addition of polyhalo compounds. 

Recently, chloro-, bromo-, and iodoben-zenes have been subjected to electroreduction using Ni(0) complex mediators to yield biphenyl. NiCl2L2 and NiBr2L2 [L= P(Ph)3, (Ph)2PCH2CH2P(Ph)2] have been used as catalysts [259-265]. Pro-tic media such as alcohols, that is, methanol, ethanol or alcohol-water mixtures are found to be suitable solvents for achieving the electrosynthesis of biaryls from aryl halides according to a procedure that involves a catalytic process by nickel-2,2 -bipyridine complexes [266]. Electrochemical cross-coupling between... 

Nunnecke, D. and Voss, J. (1999) Electroreduction of organic compounds. Part 32. Indirect elec-trodehalogenation of chloro arenes in methanol mediated by nickel complexes. Acta Chem. Scand. 53, 824-829. 

Ntinnecke D. (2000). Indirect Electroreduction of Chloroarenes in Methanol Mediated by Nickel Complexes. PhD Dissertation, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany (in German). 

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