High Throughput Electrochemical Workstation System for Organic Electrocatalysis and In-Operando Reaction Control

• Subject Area: Molecular Chemistry
• Term: Funded in 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 440844843

In recent years, organic electrocatalysis has undergone a remarkable renaissance, thus emerging as a transformative tool that revolutionizes molecular syntheses. To enable sustainable direct functionalizations by metallaelectro-catalysis it is of utmost importance to have access to a state of the art electrochemical high-throughput instrumentaion. The envisioned project features i) electrochemical peptide late-stage diversification, ii) electrochemical polymer upgrading, iii) validation of computational studies, iv) electrocatalysis with 3d metal complexes, and v) asymmetric electrocatalysis, all of which require effective optimization of all reaction parameters. Thus far, published procedures are predominantly restricted to galvanostatic electrolysis, while electrocatalysis under a potentiostatic regime is not viable due to a lack of the requested instrument at the Göttingen University. This key limitation prevents among others high chemo-selectivity and redox-sensitive catalysts. The Electrocatalysis High-Throughput Instrument enables effective potentiostatic manifolds. The option to dial in oxidizing potential at the minimum level required for the desired redox transformation further renders electrochemistry an ideal means to achieve unique levels of chemoselectivity. The merger of electrochemistry and metal catalysis, in stark contrast to electrosynthesis, requires the handling and characterization of highly sensitive transient transition metal species. Thus, in-operando reaction control is essential for the identification and characterization of highly reactive intermediates.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Hochdurchsatz-elektrochemisches System für organische Elektrokatalyse und in-operando Reaktionskontrolle
• Instrumentation Group: 1470 Potentiometer, Geräte für Amperometrie, Voltametrie, Coulometrie
• Applicant Institution: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
• Leader: Professor Dr. Lutz Ackermann