Electrochemical Deoxyarylation of Aromatic Aldehydes and Ketones.

Carbonyl-containing compounds serve as essential building blocks in various synthetic processes. However, due to the high bond energy of the C═O double bond, the traditional deoxygenation methods often require harsh conditions or toxic reagents. Direct carbonyl deoxygenative coupling of aldehydes and ketones is still challenging under mild conditions. Herein we report the successful establishment of an electroreductive coupling strategy utilizing aromatic carbonyls and terephthalonitrile. A key component of our approach is the use of closo-boranes, specifically (Et4N)2B10H10, which serve as an in situ deoxidant by single-electron oxidation.