Electrochemical bromination and oxidation of alkyl aromatic compounds by two-phase electrolysis

A simple, regioselective, environmentally clean and economical method for the preparation of side chain/ ring brominated aromatic compounds is reported in 70–98% yield by an electrochemical method using two phase electrolysis technique. Electrochemical reactions were carried out using aqueous 25–50 wt% sodium bromide containing catalytic amount (5 wt%) of hydrobromic acid as an aqueous phase and chloroform containing alkyl aromatic compounds as an organic phase, at a temperature of 0–30 °C in an undivided cell. The same two-phase electrolytic system can be used for the oxidation of benzylic alcohols to the corresponding benzaldehydes in 80–94% yield without over oxidation to carboxylic acids. The advantage of this very mild procedure is a room temperature reaction used with an undivided cell. Excellent conversions are observed. After completion of alcohol oxidation the electrolyte can be reused for a number of times, demonstrating “spent reagent” free electro organic reaction as an attractive one. In the case of side chain/ring bromination of alkyl aromatic compounds, the electrolyte can be reused after making up the concentration of the electrolyte with 47 wt% HBr solution. In some cases homogeneous electrolysis is applied, where the two-phase electrolysis did not work. Styrene epoxidation and α-bromination of ketones underwent homogeneous electrolysis at room temperature without any catalyst. The reaction was performed in CH3CN-water (3: 2) using equimolar amount of NaBr as an electrolyte to get 68% of styrene epoxide. Use of an ionic liquid 1-butyl 3-methyl imidazolium bromide (Bmim) Br, instead of NaBr improved the yield and current efficiency of styrene epoxide to 86%.