A Mild Method for Electrochemical Reduction of Heterocyclic N-Oxides

Deoxygenation of heteroaromatic N-oxides is commonly accomplished using chemical or enzymatic methods. In this work, we report on an expedient protocol for electrochemical reduction of pyridine N-oxide derivatives under mild conditions. A diverse range of mono- and bis N-oxides were converted into the corresponding nitrogen bases in good yields. Importantly, the method is highly selective towards N-oxides and tolerates challenging halo and nitro substituents in the heteroaromatic ring.