The synthesis of aryl iodides from commercially available raw chemicals by simple, cheap and green strategies is of fundamental significance. Aryl iodides can undergo a series of homo-/cross-coupling reactions for the synthesis of important industrial chemicals and materials. Traditional methods require the electrophilic substitution on aromatic compounds by iodine or hypervalent iodine compounds, which suffers from the use of erosive halogens or hazardous oxidants. With the development of green chemistry in the field of electrochemical synthesis, anodic oxidation-derived I⁺ cations have been used for substitution reactions. However, the selectivity of the iodination by these electrochemical methods remains unsatisfactory. We believed that the anolyte is contaminated by trace platinum species from the working electrode. Herein, we report the generation of active I⁺ species from the anodic oxidation of I₂ in acetonitrile using a glassy carbon electrode. With the presence of H⁺, electrolyte prepared with a glassy carbon anode can react with anisole to selectively form 4-iodoanisole with a yield as high as 97%. On contrast, the electrolytes prepared from Pt and graphite anodes finished the reaction with yields of 16% and 60% for 4-iodoanisole, respectively. This electrochemical method also applies to the iodination of toluene, benzonitrile and bromobenzene, delivering the target para-iodination products with 92%, 84%, and 73% yields, respectively. Thus, an atom-efficient and highly selective aryl iodination method was developed without the use of excessive oxidants.

Renewable and economical generation of hydrogen via electrochemical methods shows great potential in addressing the energy crisis. In this study, an emerging molten salt method was adopted for the synthesis of a cerium-modified rhenium disulfide nanosheet for electrical hydrogen evolution reactions. The prepared 1% Ce-doped rhenium disulfide (ReS₂) sample showed promoted hydrogen evolution performance in both acid and alkaline electrolytes compared to bare ReS₂. Generating of abundant defects in ReS₂ exposed more reaction active sites. Moreover, adding cerium accelerated the hydrogen evolution dynamics. Hopefully, this work will offer new insight into developing ReS₂-based electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reactions.

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), which are generally considered to be crystalline materials comprising metal centers and organic ligands, have attracted growing attention because of their controllable structures and high porosity. MOFs based on transition metals (Fe, Co, Ni) are highly efficient electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage. In this review, the characteristics of Fe-MOFs, Co-MOFs, Ni-MOFs, and their derivatives are summarized, and the relationships between the structures and performance are unveiled in depth. Additionally, their applications in lithium–ion batteries, lithium–sulfur batteries, and supercapacitors are discussed. This review sheds light on the development of MOFs and their derivatives to realize excellent electrochemical performance.

The ubiquity of N-heterocycles in marketed drugs makes the development of metal-free methodologies for constructing C–N bonds of considerable importance. As an environmentally friendly method, electro-oxidative intramolecular C–H amination has emerged as a powerful platform for synthesizing nitrogen-containing heterocycles under metal- and external oxidant-free conditions. In this minireview, the main achievements in this direction since 2020 are summarized, with an emphasis on the substrate scope and mechanistic aspects. The reactions are classified into two categories: direct and indirect electro-oxidative intramolecular C–H aminations.

C–O bonds are widely found in pharmaceuticals and natural products and have various pharmacological activities. Therefore, developing effective strategies for constructing compounds containing C–O bonds has become a research hotspot among chemists. Organic electrochemical synthesis is a green, mild, and efficient strategy that shows great potential in the synthesis of compounds containing C–O bonds. This review introduces the reactions of compounds containing C–O bonds recently constructed by electrochemical methods and expounds the corresponding reaction mechanism to provide a reference for applying such reactions in organic synthesis.

Conversion of carbon dioxide (CO₂) into valuable chemicals and renewable fuels via photocatalysis represents an eco-friendly route to achieve the goal of carbon neutralization. Although various types of semiconductor materials have been intensively explored, some severe issues, such as rapid charge recombination and sluggish redox reaction kinetics, remain. In this regard, cocatalyst modification by trapping charges and boosting surface reactions is one of the most efficient strategies to improve the efficiency of semiconductor photocatalysts. This review focuses on recent advances in CO₂ photoreduction over cost-effective and earth-abundant cobalt (Co)-based cocatalysts, which are competitive candidates of noble metals for practical applications. First, the functions of Co-based cocatalysts for promoting photocatalytic CO₂ reduction are briefly discussed. Then, different kinds of Co-based cocatalysts, including cobalt oxides and hydroxides, cobalt nitrides and phosphides, cobalt sulfides and selenides, Co single-atom, and Co-based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), are summarized. The underlying mechanisms of these Co-based cocatalysts for facilitating CO₂ adsorption–activation, boosting charge separation, and modulating intermediate formation are discussed in detail based on experimental characterizations and density functional theory calculations. In addition, the suppression of the competing hydrogen evolution reaction using Co-based cocatalysts to promote the product selectivity of CO₂ reduction is highlighted in some selected examples. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives on constructing more efficient Co-based cocatalysts for practical applications are proposed.