Electro-oxidation synthesis of amides from carbon- and nitrogen-containing small molecules

doi:10.1016/S1872-2067(25)64855-8

Chinese Journal of Catalysis ›› 2026, Vol. 80: 1-6.DOI: 10.1016/S1872-2067(25)64855-8

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Electro-oxidation synthesis of amides from carbon- and nitrogen-containing small molecules

Aijing Ma^a^,^b, Baian Shen^c, Minghao Guo^b^,^c, Chengying Guo^b^,^c, Yifu Yu^b^,^c^,^*()

^aState Key Laboratory of Advanced Separation Membrane Materials, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Technology and Process Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China
^bHaihe Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations, Tianjin 300192, China
^cInstitute of Molecular Plus, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China

Received:2025-06-20 Accepted:2025-08-29 Online:2026-01-18 Published:2026-01-05
Contact: Yifu Yu
About author:Yifu Yu received his B.E. and M.E. degrees in chemical engineering from Tianjin University. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in chemical engineering from the same university in 2014. He worked as a postdoctoral fellow in Prof. Hua Zhang’s group in the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, from 2014 to 2017. He is currently a Professor at Institute of Molecular Plus in Tianjin University. His research interests focus on heterogeneous catalysis of nitrogen-containing small molecules.
Supported by:
Tianjin Science and Technology Program(24YDTPJC00050);Haihe Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations for financial support(24HHWCSS00009)

Abstract

Abstract:

Electrochemical synthesis of amides from carbon- and nitrogen-containing small molecules is alluring from the view of carbon neutrality. Previous works were mainly focused on electro-reduction coupling of C-N bond to prepare amides coupled with the useless oxygen evolution reaction on the anode. But, the competing hydrogen evolution reaction is more favorable in dynamics on the cathode, severely retarding the Faradaic efficiency of the amides. Very recently, electro-oxidation construction of C-N bond via coupling the cheap C- and N-containing small molecules to achieve high energy efficiency emerges as a rising star, while the big challenge lies in preventing the sole oxidation of feedstocks. In this perspective, we highlight the recent progress in anodic electro-oxidation synthesis of amides and the potential reaction mechanism. We also discuss the application potential and the development opportunities of the electro-oxidation strategy for amides synthesis from carbon- and nitrogen-containing small molecules.

Key words: Amides, Electrosynthesis, Oxidation coupling, C-N bond, Sustainable feedstocks

Aijing Ma, Baian Shen, Minghao Guo, Chengying Guo, Yifu Yu. Electro-oxidation synthesis of amides from carbon- and nitrogen-containing small molecules[J]. Chinese Journal of Catalysis, 2026, 80: 1-6.

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Figures/Tables 4

Fig. 1. Comparison of formamide production technology. The manufacture of amides from traditional thermal-catalytic (a) and sustainable electro-catalytic (b) strategies.

Fig. 2. Reaction mechanism analysis [3]. (a) The possible formamide formation pathways. (b) Isotope-labeled in situ ATR-FTIR measurements using 14NH4+ and 15NH4+ as nitrogen source.

Fig. 3. Practical application potential for electro-oxidation synthesis of amides. (a) TEA of the levelized cost of formamide electrosynthesis as a function of Faradaic efficiency and renewable energy cost [3]. (b) The image of a pilot-scale electrolyzer incorporating BDD anode [24]. (c) The scheme of scale-up electrolysis device [24].

Fig. 4. The scheme of amide electrosynthesis strategies. (a) The strategy of simultaneous anodic and cathodic amide formation. (b) The strategy of avoiding aldehyde over-oxidation.

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Electro-oxidation synthesis of amides from carbon- and nitrogen-containing small molecules

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