Electrochemical oxidative cross-coupling of tetrahydroquinolines and azoles

Abstract

A novel electrochemical method is described for the direct oxidative C–N coupling of tetrahydroquinolines and azoles, enabling the synthesis of dihydroquinoline derivatives under mild reaction conditions. In this approach, 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinooxy (TEMPO) serves as a redox mediator, and NaI not only acts as an electrolyte but also functions as an iodine mediator. The reaction exhibits good functional group tolerance and high atomic economy, resulting in moderate to excellent yields of the desired dihydroquinoline derivatives. Furthermore, by adjusting the reaction conditions, the corresponding quinoline derivatives can also be selectively obtained.