Photoelectrochemical Fe/Ni cocatalyzed C-C functionalization of alcohols.

The simultaneous activation of reactants on the anode and cathode via paired electrocatalysis has not been extensively demonstrated. This report presents a paired oxidative and reductive catalysis based on earth-abundant iron/nickel cocatalyzed C-C functionalization of ubiquitous alcohols. A variety of alcohols (i.e., primary, secondary, tertiary, or unstrained cyclic alcohols) can be activated at very low oxidation potential of (~0.30 V vs. Ag/AgCl) via photoelectrocatalysis coupled with versatile electrophiles. This reactivity yields a wide range of structurally diverse molecules with broad functional group compatibility (more than 50 examples).