Kolbe Anodic Decarboxylation as a Green Way To Access 2-Pyrrolidinones.

Nootropic compounds are a group of pharmacologically active pyrrolidones. These molecules, which enhance cognition properties and possess a large prescription field, are particularly interesting synthetic targets for the pharmaceutical industry. In this Article, we disclose an effective and environmentally friendly pyrrolidinone synthesis using electrosynthesis. The newly developed methodology includes a Kolbe decarboxylation, followed by an intramolecular radical cyclization and a radical-radical cross-coupling.