Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitution for Heteroatoms: An Oxidative Electrochemical Approach

The nucleophilic aromatic substitution for heteroatom through electrochemical oxidation of the intermediate sigma-complexes (Meisenheimer complexes) in simple nitroaromatic compounds is reported for the first time (NASX process). The studies have been carried out with hydride, cyanide, fluoride, methoxy, and ethanethiolate anions and n-butylamine as a nucleophile, at the cyclic voltammetry (CV) and preparative electrolysis level. The cyclic voltammetry experiments allow for detection and characterization of the sigma-complexes and they have led us to a proposal for the mechanism of the oxidation step. Furthermore, the power of the CV technique in the analysis of the reaction mixture throughout the whole chemical and electrochemical process is described.