eAmidation: an electrochemical amidation of aldehydes via the oxidation of N-aryl hydrazones

In recent years, the use of electrochemistry has emerged as a powerful yet sustainable means of enabling key transformations. Amidation is one of the most frequently executed transformations in synthetic chemistry, and using an electrochemical approach, the current study has demonstrated the synthesis of amides from aldehydes and amines. Mechanistic work indicates that the reaction proceeds via the oxidation of an intermediate hydrazone to generate an acyl diazene as the acylating species. The protocol developed has enabled the synthesis of a broad range of amides, including access to pharmaceutically relevant products, directly from aldehydes without recourse for hazardous chemical oxidants and activating agents.