Electroreductive Access to 1,2-Aminoalcohols via Cross Aza-Pinacol Coupling of N -Acyl Diarylketimines and Aldehydes.

We present highly efficient and operationally simple synthetic methods for 1,2-aminoalcohols via electroreductive cross aza-pinacol coupling between N -acyl diarylketimines and aldehydes. Preliminary mechanistic studies including cyclic voltammetry and density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest that the reaction is instigated by selective electrochemical single electron transfer (SET) of N -acylketimines. The developed electrochemical protocol is compatible to biorelevant functional groups, enabling late-stage functionalization of pharmacophores.