DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.6c03424 ISSN: 1523-7060
Electrochemical Divergent Transformation of Flavonoids to Dihydroflavonols and 3-Iodoflavones
Yi Sun, Changsheng Qin, Xinyue Li, Jiawei Guo, Zhihua Zhang, Jingfang Wang, Chenxu Li, Jierong Liu, Lanyu Yang, Shoucai Wang, Fanghua Ji, Guangbin JiangAbstract
We report an electrochemically regulated divergent C–H functionalization of flavonoids that enables the controllable synthesis of dihydroflavonols or 3-iodoflavones from the same substrates by simply switching the electrolyte and solvent. This protocol operates in an undivided cell at room temperature under air, featuring tunable selectivity, no need for external oxidants or transition-metal catalysts, and operational simplicity. Mechanistic studies identify the key reaction intermediates.