Decarboxylation of a Wide Range of Amino Acids with Electrogenerated Hypobromite

Bromide-assisted electrochemical decarboxylation efficiently produces valuable nitriles in high yields from a wide range of naturally occurring amino acids in a single step. Bromide salts are used as both redox mediators and supporting electrolytes in a simple one-compartment setup. As demonstrated for lysine, the selectivity of the decarboxylation can be tuned towards nitriles, amines or amides.