NHPI-Catalyzed Electro-Oxidation of Alcohols to Aldehydes and Ketones.

A practical and recyclable electro-oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes and ketones by using N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) as the catalyst is presented. Through an undivided pool, under constant current conditions, various alcohols can be oxidized to the corresponding aldehydes or ketones in a high yield. Compared with previous methods, this system has the following characteristics: (1) the catalyst, electrode, electrolyte, and solvent (mainly water) are recyclable; (2) it has many advantages such as mild reaction conditions, easy operation, and good tolerance of functional groups; and (3) it can be smoothly scaled up to kilogram-scale production.