Electrochemical generation of nitrogen-centered radicals for organic synthesis

There is a resurgence of interests in organic electrochemistry, which is generally accepted as a green synthetic tool. In this context, many electrochemical methods have been developed in the past decade to access various nitrogen-centered radicals (NCRs) from readily available precursors in a controlled fashion, enabling the rapid development of many NCR-mediated new reactions for the construction of nitrogen-containing organic compounds. In this review, recent advances in the chemistry of electrochemically generated NCRs are critically highlighted, based on the electrochemical strategies for their formation and the types of NCRs. Focus is put on the mechanism for the electrochemical generation of different NCRs and their synthetic applications.