Electroreductive crossed pinacol coupling of aromatic ketones with aliphatic ketones and aldehydes

The intermolecular crossed pinacol coupling of aromatic ketones with aliphatic aldehydes and ketones was effected by electroreduction in the presence of chlorotrimethylsilane. The best result was obtained using a Pb cathode in Bu4NPF6/THF. The electroreduction of aromatic 1,4-, 1,5-, and 1,6-diketones under the same conditions gave four-, five-, and six-membered 1,2-diols with trans-stereoselectivity, while the reduction of these diketones with TiCl4–Zn produced the cis-isomers of the same intramolecular crossed pinacol coupling products predominantly.