Synergistic Catalyst–Mediator Pairings for Electroreductive Cross-Electrophile Coupling Reactions

Electroreductive cross-electrophile coupling (eXEC) represents an attractive approach for the direct C-C coupling of two electrophiles but generally suffers from limited scope compared to reactions with chemical reductants. This work demonstrates that mediator-assisted electrocatalysis is a general strategy for the enhancement of eXEC reactions. While eXEC reactions catalyzed by a variety of widely available ligand-nickel complexes are low yielding when applied to reductive couplings of challenging substrates, reactions with the same complexes generate products in near-quantitative yield when a redox-matched mediator is included. We identify a library of catalyst-mediator systems that provide complementary reactivity and enable coupling of a range of substrate classes in high yields. These catalyst systems are applicable to both chemical and electrochemical reduction, but some require electroreduction due to the low potentials required for activation. Finally, mechanistic studies offer insights that facilitate catalyst-mediator pairing.