Electrochemical Synthesis of Organozinc and Their Coordination Compounds

Organozinc and organozinc halides have been synthesized by electrolyzing the solutions of alkyl/aryl halides (cyclopentadiene, bromoethane, 1-bromppropane, 1-chlorobutane and chlorobenzene) in acetonitrile at sacrificial zinc anode. These organozinc halides do not form coordination compounds when refluxed with ligands such as 1,10- phenanthroline and 2,2'-bipyridyl. However, coordination compounds of these organozinc compounds have been synthesized by electrolyzing the solution of the above substrate in the presence of ligands in acetonitrile at sacrificial zinc anode. All these products have been characterized by infrared spectral data, elemental analysis and various physical properties. Current efficiencies of all these systems are quite high.