Convenient Electrocatalytic Synthesis of Azobenzenes from Nitroaromatic Derivatives Using SmI2

The synthesis of azobenzenes has been a long-standing challenge. Their current preparation at a preparative or industrial scale requires stoichiometric amounts of environmentally unfriendly reactants. Herein, we demonstrate that the catalytic use of electrogenerated samarium diiodide (SmI2) could promote, in one-step synthesis, the reduction of nitrobenzenes into azobenzenes in high yields under mild reaction conditions. This catalytic procedure contains many elements satisfying a sustainable chemical process for the preparation of one of the most widely wanted family of chemical compounds. The easy synthetic procedure, and the absence of precious metals, bases, and nonhazardous substances, already makes our catalytic procedure a serious alternative to currently available methods. This is a promising method for the efficient synthesis of both symmetrical and asymmetrical azo compounds with a high functional group tolerance.