Electroreduction of aryl diazonium salts: a sustainable strategy for organic synthesis

Abstract

Aryl diazonium salts represent a class of highly reactive intermediates that play an indispensable role in organic synthesis. The efficient and environmentally benign transformation of aryl diazonium salts via organic electrochemistry has emerged as a significant research direction in synthetic organic chemistry. In recent years, the rapid advancement of organic electrosynthesis has opened up new pathways for the efficient and green conversion of diazo compounds. This review systematically summarizes the progress in constructing carbon–carbon and carbon–heteroatom bonds via electrochemical methods using aryl diazonium salts, covering the literature from 2018 to 2025. While several earlier reviews have discussed the broader chemistry of aryl diazonium salts or the general field of organic electrosynthesis, this review specifically focuses on recent advances in their electrochemical transformations, with an emphasis on cathodic reduction strategies that have gained significant momentum over the past decade. This review highlights their applications in C–H functionalization, tandem cyclization reactions, and paired electrolysis processes. The discussion delves into the underlying strategies and mechanisms of these reactions, while also offering perspectives on their future applications in synthetic methodology and interdisciplinary research.