Cobalt(salen)-electrocatalyzed conversion of benzotrichloride into tolane. A triply catalytic and overall quintuple electrochemical transformation

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/0040-4039(96)01851-5

Electrochemical reduction of a mixture of cobalt(II)(salen) and benzotrichloride (4) results in transformation of 4 successively into 1,1,2,2-tetrachloro-1,2-diphenylethane, 1,2-dichlorostilbene, diphenylacetylene, stilbene, and bibenzyl. The first three reactions are electrocatalyzed by the cobalt complex; the last two are direct reductions.