Strain-Releasing Hydrogenation of Donor–Acceptor Cyclopropanes and Cyclobutanes via Electrochemical Site Selective Carbonyl Reduction

An acid or hydrogen gas-free electrochemical protocol is established for the hydrogenation of strained rings (cyclopropane and cyclobutane) at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The mechanistic study revealed that the reaction was initiated via the reduction of the carbonyl group. The methodology is highly specific toward strained rings such as cyclopropane and cyclobutane, which exhibit broad functional group tolerance.