Electrochemical and Photoelectrochemical Transformations of Thioamides

Here, we describe a strategy to use BiVO4, an abundant and robust photoanode, for the desulfurization of thioamides. Under light irradiation, the photogenerated holes in BiVO4 oxidize thioamides to radical cations, which further react with the oxygen radical anion to produce amides. The proposed iPEC strategy presents a high promise for green organic chemical transformations with the goal of maximizing not only the atom economy but also the energy efficiency.