Cathodic reductive coupling of methyl cinnamate on boron-doped diamond electrodes and synthesis of new neolignan-type products

• Taiki Kojima,
• Rika Obata,
• Tsuyoshi Saito,
• Yasuaki Einaga and
• Shigeru Nishiyama

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2015, 11, 200–203, doi:10.3762/bjoc.11.21

• methyl cinnamate on a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode was investigated. The hydrodimer, dimethyl 3,4-diphenylhexanedioate (racemate/meso = 74:26), was obtained in 85% yield as the major product, along with small amounts of cyclic methyl 5-oxo-2,3-diphenylcyclopentane-1-carboxylate. Two new neolignan

• -type products were synthesized from the hydrodimer. Keywords: boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode; cathodic reduction; electrochemistry; electrosynthesis; neolignan; Introduction Numerous lignans and neolignans were found as secondary plant metabolites, and many of them are known to exhibit