Direct electrochemical deoxygenation reaction of ketones using leaded bronze cathode in formic acid

We report a mild and resource efficient electrochemical method for the deoxygenation reaction of ketones using a leaded bronze CuSn7Pb15 cathode in a very simple two-electrode undivided setup under galvanostatic conditions. The method is easy to conduct and applicable to a variety of ketones leading to deoxygenated products in yields up to 82% using a simple isolation protocol. The use of formic acid as a solvent and source of protons turned out to be crucial for the deoxygenation reaction. The scale-up experiments up to 100 mmol scale proved the practical relevance of the method and the potential use for industrial large-scale synthesis. Noteworthy, this method is sustainable in terms of process safety and reusability of the components including the electrodes and solvent-supporting electrolyte mixture.