TP6 – Electrochemical generation of storable organic oxidants for use in sustainable catalytic transformations

The principal goal of this subproject is the direct and indirect implementation of anodic oxidation processes in the chemical value creation chain. A first target is the electrochemical conversion of amines into their amine oxides. Long-chain derivatives are of immediate utility as high-price detergents. Low-molecular-weight N-oxides, such as N-methylmorpholine N-oxide (NMO), will be investigated as platform oxidants in catalytic dehydro­gen­ative couplings. This approach will overcome the key limitation, namely the stoichiometric use of metallic oxidants, of an otherwise highly desirable strategy to form C–C and C–heteroatom bonds. We will pursue two parallel strategies to achieve the desired N-oxidation. In cooperation with Aliaksandr Bandarenka, we will follow up on his discovery of peroxide formation at certain metal-oxide electrodes, which might therefore also enable the electrochemical oxidation of amines to amine oxides via a hydrogen peroxide intermediate. In cooperation with Siegfried Waldvogel, we plan to achieve amine oxidation via peroxodicarbonate salt intermediates in a flow reactor suitable for high electric currents. The reaction techniques developed for amine oxidation will then be implemented directly in dehydrogenative couplings, e.g. of arenes and HCN.

Prof. Dr. Lukas Gooßen, born 16/10/1969, German; Go853
Evonik Chair of Organic Chemistry, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, ZEMOS 2/27, Universitätsstraße 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany
Tel.: +49 (0)234-32 19075; Email: lukas.goossen@rub.de