Herein, we report a sustainable electrochemical system for synthesizing organoselenium/sulfur compounds via coupling of diselenides/disulfides with diazonium salts. Simultaneously, this method can also be used to synthesize phenylselenides and alkylselenides.

Abstract

An electrochemically catalyzed coupling reaction of diselenides/disulfides with diazonium salts has been described. This method features short reaction time, mild conditions, low cost, high efficiency, and metal-catalyst-free operation, providing a novel route for synthesizing organoselenium compounds. Mechanistic studies such as cyclic voltammetry (CV), divided cell experiment, on–off electricity experiment, and radical trapping reactions support the electrochemical catalysis of the cross-coupling process of diselenides with diazonium salts.