The appeal and promise of synthetic organic electrochemistry have been appreciated over the past century. In terms of redox chemistry, which is frequently encountered when forging new bonds, it is difficult to conceive of a more economical way to add or remove electrons than electrochemistry. Indeed, many of the largest industrial synthetic chemical processes are achieved in a practical way using electrons as a reagent. Why then, after so many years of the documented benefits of electrochemistry, is it not more widely embraced by mainstream practitioners? Erroneous perceptions that electrochemistry is a "black box" combined with a lack of intuitive and inexpensive standardized equipment likely contributed to this stagnation in interest within the synthetic organic community. This barrier to entry is magnified by the fact that many redox processes can already be accomplished using simple chemical reagents even if they are less atom-economic. Time has proven that sustainability and economics are not strong enough driving forces for the adoption of electrochemical techniques within the broader community. Indeed, like many synthetic organic chemists that have dabbled in this age-old technique, our first foray into this area was not by choice but rather through sheer necessity. The unique reactivity benefits of this old redox-modulating technique must therefore be highlighted and leveraged in order to draw organic chemists into the field. Enabling new bonds to be forged with higher levels of chemo- and regioselectivity will likely accomplish this goal. In doing so, it is envisioned that widespread adoption of electrochemistry will go beyond supplanting unsustainable reagents in mundane redox reactions to the development of exciting reactivity paradigms that enable heretofore unimagined retrosynthetic pathways. Whereas the rigorous physical organic chemical principles of electroorganic synthesis have been reviewed elsewhere, it is often the case that such summaries leave out the pragmatic aspects of designing, optimizing, and scaling up preparative electrochemical reactions. Taken together, the task of setting up an electrochemical reaction, much less inventing a new one, can be vexing for even seasoned organic chemists. This Account therefore features a unique format that focuses on addressing this exact issue within the context of our own studies. The graphically rich presentation style pinpoints basic concepts, typical challenges, and key insights for those "electro-curious" chemists who seek to rapidly explore the power of electrochemistry in their research.

中文翻译：

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“对电好奇”的生存指南。

在过去的一个世纪里，合成有机电化学的吸引力和前景得到了重视。就形成新键时经常遇到的氧化还原化学而言，很难想象有比电化学更经济的添加或去除电子的方法。事实上，许多最大的工业合成化学过程都是使用电子作为试剂以实用的方式实现的。那么，为什么在电化学的好处这么多年被记录下来之后，主流从业者却没有更广泛地接受它呢？人们错误地认为电化学是一个“黑匣子”，加上缺乏直观且廉价的标准化设备，可能导致了合成有机界兴趣的停滞。许多氧化还原过程已经可以使用简单的化学试剂来完成，即使它们的原子经济性较差，这一事实放大了这种进入壁垒。时间已经证明，可持续性和经济性不足以推动电化学技术在更广泛的领域得到广泛应用。事实上，就像许多涉足这一古老技术的合成有机化学家一样，我们第一次涉足这一领域并不是出于选择，而是出于纯粹的需要。因此，必须强调和利用这种古老的氧化还原调节技术的独特反应性优势，以吸引有机化学家进入该领域。能够形成具有更高水平的化学和区域选择性的新键可能会实现这一目标。在此过程中，预计电化学的广泛采用将超越取代普通氧化还原反应中不可持续的试剂，发展令人兴奋的反应范式，从而实现迄今为止无法想象的逆合成途径。尽管有机电合成的严格物理有机化学原理已在其他地方进行过综述，但通常情况下，此类总结忽略了设计、优化和扩大制备电化学反应的实用方面。总而言之，建立电化学反应的任务，更不用说发明一种新的反应，即使是经验丰富的有机化学家也会感到烦恼。因此，本报告采用了独特的格式，重点是在我们自己的研究背景下解决这个确切的问题。丰富的图形演示风格为那些寻求在研究中快速探索电化学力量的“对电子充满好奇”的化学家指出了基本概念、典型挑战和关键见解。