Iodide-mediated organic electrosynthesis: Recent advances toward sustainable transformations

Organic electrosynthesis represents a green alternative to conventional redox chemistry by replacing stoichiometric reagents with electrons. Nevertheless, direct anodic oxidation often leads to over-oxidation and poor selectivity. Iodide has emerged as an attractive, low-cost, and electrochemically regenerable redox mediator enabling indirect electrosynthetic transformations under mild conditions. This review highlights iodide-mediated organic electrosynthesis from a green chemistry perspective, covering diverse transformations such as C–N, C–C, C–S, S–S, S–O, S-N, and P-N bond formation, C–H functionalization, cyclization, and oxidative coupling. Rather than focusing on detailed mechanisms, the discussion emphasizes mediator function, reaction scope, waste minimization, and sustainability-related advantages, including reduced oxidant use and improved selectivity. Current limitations and future opportunities for iodide-mediated electrosynthesis in sustainable organic synthesis are also outlined.