Efficient electrochemical synthesis of 2-arylsuccinic acids from CO2 and aryl-substituted alkenes with nickel as the cathode

A simple and efficient electrochemical route was developed by using non-noble metal nickel as the cathode and aluminum or magnesium as an anode for the synthesis of 2-arylsuccinic acids from carbon dioxide and aryl-substituted alkenes. The electrochemical dicarboxylation of aryl-substituted alkenes and carbon dioxide could be smoothly carried out in an undivided cell containing n-Bu4NBr-DMF electrolyte with a constant current under 4 MPa pressure of CO2 at room temperature in the absence of additional catalysts, and the corresponding 2-arylsuccinic acids were afforded in moderate to good yields (50–87%) and high selectivity (98%). The influence of some key factors (such as electrode materials, supporting electrolyte, substrate concentration, current density and CO2 pressure) on the results of the electrochemical synthesis was investigated, and the electrochemical reaction mechanism was also briefly discussed.