CH Activation for the Synthesis of Organic Redox‐Active Compounds

Abstract

Organic redox‐active materials are used in several electrochemical applications; however, their application has expanded from conventional optoelectronic devices to new energy storage systems in recent years. Therefore, the design and synthesis of redox‐active organic compounds are critical for modulating their redox potentials, stability, solubility, and related properties to achieve optimal performance. Through a variety of CH functionalization reactions, the CH bonds of representative redox‐active cores, such as quinones, diimides, and ferrocenes, can be directly replaced to form new CC and C–heteroatom bonds. In addition to increasing the atom‐ and step‐economy, this late‐stage modification strategy allows for the preparation of structural analogs that are not readily accessible by conventional methods. This article reviews the position and type of substituents that can be added to these redox‐active cores, thus providing a perspective on CH functionalization and molecular engineering strategies that can be applied to fine‐tune redox‐active compounds.