The work describes the unique use of electrochemical energy (electrons) as reagents in chemical
reactions. This will be achieved through interactions with metal centers capable of accepting and
donating electrons. This ability to shuffle electrons at the metal center is the foundation of reactivity
of these metals enabling interactions with reagents that lead to bond forming events.
I will focus on a metal that is familiar to me, palladium. This element has a fascinating catalytic
reaction chemistry I plan to take advantage without the need for strong oxidizing or reducing agents
but instead using simple electrons.
I plan to explore the electrochemical activation of palladium to render straightforward the
involvement of this metal in complex reactions such as cross-coupling where C-C, C-N and Cheteroatom
bonds are formed or by generating reactive catalytic species that can be isolated
through interaction with a stabilizing ligand under electrochemical conditions.
The synthetic and catalytic approaches will lead to user-friendly, greener and more sustainable
methods of chemical synthesis.