Electrochemical reduction of halogenated organic compounds is gaining increasing attention as a strategy for the remediation of environmental pollutants. We begin this review by discussing key components (cells, electrodes, solvents, and electrolytes) in the design of a procedure for degrading a targeted pollutant, and we describe and contrast some experimental techniques used to explore and characterize the electrochemical behavior of that pollutant. Then, we describe how to probe various mechanistic features of the pertinent electrochemistry (including stepwise versus concerted carbon-halogen bond cleavage, identification of reaction intermediates, and elucidation of mechanisms). Knowing this information is vital to the successful development of a remediation procedure. Next, we outline techniques, instrumentation, and cell designs involved in scaling up a benchtop experiment to an industrial-scale system. Finally, the last and major part of this review is directed toward surveying electrochemical studies of various categories of halogenated pollutants (chlorofluorocarbons; disinfection byproducts; pesticides, fungicides, and bactericides; and flame retardants) and looking forward to future developments.

<p>This review summarizes our own research, published since 2004, dealing with electrochemical reduction of halogenated organic compounds that are environmental pollutants. Included are sections surveying the direct and mediated reduction of the following species: (a) chlorofluorocarbons; (b) pesticides, fungicides, and bactericides; (c) flame retardants; and (d) disinfection by-products arising from the chlorination of water. To provide the reader with a perspective of these topics beyond our own work, a total of 238 literature citations, pertaining to studies conducted in numerous laboratories around the world, appears at the end of this review.</p>

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Several nickel(II) complexes of cyclams bearing aryl groups on the carbon backbone were prepared and evaluated for their propensity to catalyze the electrochemical reduction of CO 2 to CO and/or H + to H 2 , representing the first catalytic analysis to be performed on an aryl–cyclam metal complex. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) revealed the attenuation of catalytic activity when the aryl group bears the strong electron-withdrawing trifluoromethyl substituent, whereas the phenyl, p -tolyl, and aryl-free derivatives displayed a range of catalytic activities. The gaseous-product distribution for the active complexes was determined by means of controlled-potential electrolysis (CPE) and revealed that the phenyl derivative is the most active as well as the most selective for CO 2 reduction over proton reduction. Stark differences in the activity of the complexes studied are rationalized through comparison of their X-ray structures, absorption spectra, and CPE profiles. Further CV studies on the phenyl derivative were undertaken to provide a kinetic insight.

Catalytic reduction of halogenated organic compounds by electrogenerated nickel(I) complexes first appeared in the literature as a series of publications [1][2][3][4][5] from the laboratory of Derek Pletcher. In this early work, a family of nickel(II) procatalysts (or catalyst precursors) was employed, which included the compound [[2,2′-[1,2-ethanediylbis-(nitrilomethylidyne)]bis [phenolato]]-N,N′,O,O′]nickel(II), hereafter called nickel(II) salen (1). At a variety of cathodes (mercury, glassy carbon, platinum, and gold) and in numerous non-aqueous solventelectrolyte media [for example, dimethylformamide containing tetran-butylammonium tetrafluoroborate (DMF-TBABF 4 ) or acetonitrile containing tetramethylammonium perchlorate (CH 3 CN-TMAP)], chocolate-brown nickel(II) salen (1) undergoes a reversible, metalcentered, one-electron reduction to green nickel(I) salen (2). On the basis of density functional theory, it was established later 6 that reduction of nickel(II) salen can also produce a ligand-reduced form (3) of the parent complex in which a single electron is added to the carbon atom of one imino (C=N) bond of the ligand:Furthermore, the energy of 3 was calculated to be approximately only 2-3 kcal mol -1 higher than that of 2, meaning that both reduced states of 1 are accessible electrochemically-which becomes vitally important in later discussion.Shown in Fig. 1 is a cyclic voltammogram, recorded at 100 mV s -1 on a glassy carbon electrode in dimethylformamide containing tetramethylammonium tetrafluoroborate (TMABF 4 ) as the supporting electrolyte, which reveals the reversible one-electron reduction of nickel(II) salen. For the experimental conditions employed, the cathodic and anodic peak potentials (E pc and E pa ) are -0.95 and -0.84 V, respectively, and the cathodic and anodic peak currrents (I pc and I pa ) are identical. What is not seen in Fig. 1 (and what must be avoided) is that, at more negative potentials, another prominent cathodic peak is observed, due to the fact that the salen ligand itself can undergo further and irreversible degradation-which destroys the desired catalytic ability of 2. Our First Use of Electrogenerated Nickel(I) SalenOur first published effort to employ nickel(I) salen (2), electrogenerated at a reticulated vitreous carbon cathode in dimethylformamide-tetraethylammonium perchlorate (DMF-TEAP), was as a catalyst for the reductive intramolecular cyclizations of two acetylenic halides-namely, 6-bromo-1-phenyl-1-hexyne (4) and 6-iodo-1-phenyl-1-hexyne (5) Our goals were: (a) to overcome problems associated with direct reduction of these two compounds at mercury pool or reticulated vitreous carbon electrodes; and (b) to maximize the yield of the desired product (benzylidenecyclopentane, 6). Earlier, when these two acetylenic halides were reduced directly at a mercury pool cathode, 8 more than seven different products were obtained, and 6 was obtained in a yield below 25%. Then, in a subsequent investigation of the direct reduction of 6-iodo-1-phenyl-1-hexyne at a reticulated...