The construction of carboxylic acid compounds in a selective fashion from low value
materials such as alkenes remains a long-standing challenge to synthetic chemists. In
particular, β-addition to styrenes is underdeveloped. Herein we report a new electrosynthetic
approach to the selective hydrocarboxylation of alkenes that overcomes the limitations of
current transition metal and photochemical approaches. The reported method allows
unprecedented direct access to carboxylic acids derived from β, β-trisubstituted alkenes, in a …

The carboxylate moiety is prevalent in nature and a wide range of biologically active drug
candidates. However, the construction of such compounds in a selective manner, from low
value materials such as alkenes remains a significant challenge. In particular, sustainable
methods for selective carboxylation are underdeveloped. Dr Buckley, Professor Malkov and
team have recently reported a new electrosynthetic approach to the selective β-
hydrocarboxylation of alkenes with inexpensive and abundant carbon dioxide, thus avoiding …