Controlling Organic Reaction Selectivity by Alternating Current Electrolysis

Synthetic organic chemists always search for new techniques and methods to enhance selectivity and productivity to construct pharmaceutically essential molecules. In recent years, electrochemical organic synthesis has experienced a renaissance, driven by the increasing demand for green chemistry and engineering in the pharmaceutical industry. Electrochemical organic synthesis can cut down on the usage of chemicals, reduce waste, and offer improvements in cost, safety, and sustainability by directly using electrons from a power source to complete the redox transformations. Nearly all synthetic organic electrochemical methods use a constant voltage or current to drive chemical transformations. Under constant voltage or current conditions, the electric current only flows in one direction, known as direct current (DC) electrolysis. Much less attention has been paid to alternating current (AC) electrolysis, where the flow of charge changes its direction periodically. In this presentation, I will present how to use alternating current electrolysis frequency to time chemical reactions and achieve the desired reaction selectivity.