The preparation and applications of amides using electrosynthesis

Abstract

The synthesis of amides is extremely important given the ubiquitous presence of this motif in biological systems, as well as in the pharmaceutical industry, where it is estimated that amide preparation is the most common chemical reaction employed. As such, greener routes to this motif have long been a vital research goal. Amide groups are also synthetically versatile, capable of taking part in a wide range of different transformations, especially when subjected to electrochemical conditions. The current resurgence of electrosynthesis has led to new and more sustainable syntheses of (and using) amides to be published in recent times. As such, this tutorial review aims to highlight these reactions. Given the vital importance of amides and the growing interest in electrosynthesis, the combination of these two topics is an exciting and interesting field of research that holds a lot of promise in the future of synthetic chemistry.