Electrosynthesis provides a method of driving organic reaction chemistry under ambient conditions with electricity. Pairing two reactions together enables the synthesis of two valuable chemicals with no waste product. Here we report the paired electrolysis of 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol to 4-methoxybenzaldehyde with the concomitant formation of 1-hexene from 1-hexyne in an electrochemical cell. These reaction chambers are separated by a dense palladium membrane that reduces protons formed at the anode to hydrogen atoms that can permeate through the palladium foil to hydrogenate 1-hexyne. The palladium membrane enables two reactions to be performed in distinct reaction conditions: hydrogenation in organic solvents and electrochemical oxidation in aqueous electrolyte. The starting materials in both chambers react quantitatively over 5 hours of electrolysis, and selectivities ≥95% can be achieved for 4-methoxybenzaldehyde and 1-hexene with control of reaction conditions. Exquisite control of the reaction kinetics and selectivities of each of the individual reactions is demonstrated.

电合成提供了一种在环境条件下用电驱动有机反应化学的方法。将两个反应结合在一起可以合成两种有价值的化学物质，而不会产生废品。在这里，我们报道了4-甲氧基苄醇与4-甲氧基苯甲醛的成对电解，同时在电化学电池中由1-己炔形成1-己烯。这些反应室由致密的钯膜隔开，该膜将在阳极形成的质子还原为氢原子，该氢原子可透过钯箔渗透以氢化1-己炔。钯膜可以在不同的反应条件下进行两个反应：在有机溶剂中氢化和在水性电解质中电化学氧化。两个反应室中的原料在电解5个小时后会发生定量反应，并且在控制反应条件的情况下，对4-甲氧基苯甲醛和1-己烯的选择性可以达到≥95％。证明了对每个单独反应的反应动力学和选择性的精确控制。