Electrochemical Dehydration Reaction

Electrochemical dehydration reaction is a fascinating and underexplored field of research, which has started to attract significant attention in recent years. Dehydration reactions are characterized by the formal removal of water in the course of the transformation, and they are among the most fundamental types of reactions found throughout chemistry. Examples are esterification reactions, amidation reactions, and the synthesis of carbon-heteroatom multiple bonds. In general, dehydration reactions are not considered to be redox reactions, because no oxidation states change in the substrate from which water is eliminated or in the dehydration reagent that is utilized. At first glance, there does not seem to be a link between dehydration reactions and redox chemistry. In recent years, however, it has been demonstrated that dehydration reactions can be carried out by electrolysis. Given the enormous importance of dehydration reactions from academic to technical scale, electrochemical dehydration reactions offer a more sustainable approach to such transformations. In this review, the recent progress is surveyed and the opportunities of this new and evolving field are highlighted. Electrochemical dehydration reactions are an interesting new discipline in the emerging domain of electroorganic chemistry, which is currently experiencing a remarkable renaissance to establish itself as a 21st-century technique.