Electrochemical dehydroxymethylative functionalization of alkanols for forging C(sp³)-heteroatom bonds

The construction of C(sp³)-heteroatom bonds represents a fundamental research field in synthetic chemistry. We report herein an electrochemical dehydroxymethylative functionalization reaction of aliphatic alcohols under mild and catalyst-free conditions, representing a new paradigm for forging various C(sp³)-heteroatom bonds between diverse alkanols and N- or O-centered nucleophiles. In addition, detailed mechanistic investigations have been carried out, revealing that these reactions proceed through a β-scission/anodic oxidation/nucleophilic addition sequence.