Catalysis for electrocatalytic C–N coupling towards amino acid synthesis

Abstract

Electrocatalytic amino acid synthesis, which uses renewable energy-generated electricity, can overcome the high energy consumption and environmental burden brought by classical methods. Here, we discuss the main steps of electrocatalytic amino acid synthesis and summarize the advanced progress in this field. The electrochemical processes are classified according to different nitrogen sources, namely NH₂OH, NO₃^—, NO, and NH₃. Electrochemical synthesis can directly form C–N bonds under mild conditions through the reduction of nitrogen sources and the combination with carbon sources. However, when nitrogen oxides are used as nitrogen sources, excessive reduction to ammonia can reduce the selectivity of amino acids. Therefore, the rational design of catalysts is crucial to balance the kinetic mismatch and intermediate stability to achieve selective amino acid production. Finally, we provide an outlook on performance improvement strategies for electrochemical amino acid synthesis to encourage further research efforts and development in this field.