Dissociative electron transfer mechanism and application in the electrocatalytic activation of organic halides

The electrochemical dehalogenation of organic halides has been a widely investigated topic in primis for fundamental in- vestigations of dissociative electron transfer (DET) and as a green way for the electrosynthesis of organic compounds and environmental remediation. The main drawback associated with the electrochemical activation of C-X is the very negative potentials required, and this is particularly true in the case of organic chlorides, which represent the most investigated ensemble among organic molecules containing a leaving group. This has boosted over the last decades the research of electrode materials that are active toward C-X bond breaking, and without any doubt, Ag possesses extraordinary electro- catalytic properties, so far unsurpassed by any other electrode material. In this paper, we will attempt to brush up on important concepts related to DET in organic halides, while also evalu- ating recent developments in terms of electrode materials used in electrosynthesis based on organic halides and R-X degra- dation processes.