Further Information
Literature
Related Reactions
Synthesis of alkanes
Kolbe Electrolysis
The electrochemical oxidative decarboxylation of carboxylic acid salts that leads to radicals, which dimerize. It is best applied to the synthesis of symmetrical dimers, but in some cases can be used with a mixture of two carboxylic acids to furnish unsymmetrical dimers.
Mechanism of the Kolbe Electrolysis
Side products:
The formation of side products depends on the ease of the follow-up oxidation which leads to carbenium ions, and their subsequent rearrangement:
Recent Literature
Kolbe Carbon-Carbon Coupling Electrosynthesis Using Solid-Supported Bases
H. Kurihara, T. Fuchigami, T. Tajima, J. Org. Chem., 2008,
73, 6888-6890.
Electrosynthesis enables an effective and
environmentally friendly pyrrolidinone synthesis via Kolbe decarboxylation, followed by an
intramolecular radical cyclization and a radical-radical cross-coupling.
M. Quertenmont, I. Goodall, K. Lam, I. Markó, O. Riant, Q. Wan,
Org. Lett., 2020, 22, 1771-1775.
Synthesis of Five- and Six-Membered-Ring Compounds by Environmentally
Friendly Radical Cyclizations Using Kolbe Electrolysis
F.Lebreux, F. Buzzo, I. E. Markó, Synlett, 2008,
2815-2820.