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Olefin hydrogenation is one of the most important transformations in organic synthesis. Electrochemical transition metal‐catalyzed hydrogenation is an attractive approach to replace the dangerous hydrogen gas with electrons and protons. However, this reaction poses major challenges due to rapid hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) of metal‐hydride species that outcompetes alkene hydrogenation step, and facile deposition of the metal catalyst at the electrode that stalls reaction. Here we report an economical and efficient strategy to achieve high selectivity for hydrogenation reactivity over the well‐established HER. Using an inexpensive and bench‐stable nickel salt as the catalyst, this mild reaction features outstanding substrate generality and functional group compatibility, and distinct chemoselectivity. In addition, hydrodebromination of alkyl and aryl bromides could be realized using the same reaction system with a different ligand, and high chemoselectivity between hydrogenation and hydrodebromination could be achieved through ligand selection. The practicability of our method has been demonstrated by the success of large‐scale synthesis using catalytic amount of electrolyte and a minimal amount of solvent. Cyclic voltammetry and kinetic studies were performed, which support a NiII/0 catalytic cycle and the pre‐coordination of the substrate to the nickel center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exceptional versatility of carboxylic acids has been extensively exploited in organic synthesis across several decades. There has been a recent upsurge of radical decarboxylative transformations. The process can be initiated under mild conditions, and the resultant radicals have orthogonal reactivities to closed‐shell species, thus providing immense opportunities for streamlining novel reactions. The use of free carboxylic acids is the most desirable owing to its high atom and step economy. Aiming to demonstrate the attractiveness of the strategy and to inspire chemists to tackle existing challenges, this review outlines the recent advances on radical decarboxylative functionalization of free carboxylic acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electroorganic synthesis has recently become a rapidly blossoming research area within the organic synthesis community. It should be noted that electrochemical reaction is always a balanced reaction system with two half‐cell reactions‐oxidation and reduction. Most electrochemical strategies, however, typically focus on one of the two sides for the desired transformations. Paired electrolysis has two desirable half reactions running simultaneously, thus maximizing the overall margin of atom and energy economy. Meanwhile, the spatial separation between oxidation and reduction is the essential feature of electrochemistry, offering unique opportunities for the development of redox‐neutral reactions that would otherwise be challenging to accomplish in a conventional reaction flask setting. This review discusses the most recent illustrative examples of paired electrolysis with special emphasis on sequential and convergent processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]