Electrochemical hydrocarboxylation of enol derivatives with CO2: access to ß-acetoxycarboxylic acids.

Electrochemical hydrocarboxylation of enol acetates with CO2 is developed. The disclosed process provides ß-acetoxycarboxylic acids in 25-66% yields, in contrast to the electrolysis of ketones, silyl enol ethers and vinyl tosylates with CO2, which leads mainly to alcohols.

2,3-Diarylmaleate salts as a versatile class of diarylethenes with a full spectrum of photoactivity in water.

There is incessant interest in the transfer of common chemical processes from organic solvents to water, which is vital for the development of bioinspired and green chemical technologies. Diarylethenes feature a rich photochemistry, including both irreversible and reversible reactions that are in demand in organic synthesis, materials chemistry, and photopharmacology. Herein, we introduce the first versatile class of diarylethenes, namely, potassium 2,3-diarylmaleates (DAMs), that show excellent solubility in water. DAMs obtained from highly available precursors feature a full spectrum of photoactivity in water and undergo irreversible reactions (oxidative cyclization or rearrangement) or reversible photocyclization (switching), depending on their structure. This finding paves a way towards wider application of diarylethenes in photopharmacology and bioinspired technologies that require aqueous media for photochemical reactions.