Electrocatalytic oxidative Z/E isomerization of a stilbene favoured by the presence of an electroactive persistent radical

Chem Commun (Camb). 2020 Nov 25;56(91):14211-14214. doi: 10.1039/d0cc04973e. Epub 2020 Oct 28.

Abstract

A push-pull-functionalized stilbene has been prepared, with an electroactive perchlorotriphenylmethyl (PTM˙) radical and dimethylamine units as electron-withdrawing and -donating moieties, respectively, showing an electrocatalytic redox-induced Z→E isomerization where the open-shell nature of PTM˙ plays a key role in the isomerization ocurrance.