Electroreductive Ring-Opening Carboxylation of 1,3-Oxazolidin-2-ones with CO₂ for Accessing -Amino Acids

Electrocarboxylation of the C(sp(3))-O bond in 1,3-oxazolidin-2-ones with CO2 to achieve beta-amino acids is developed. The C-O bond in substrates can be selectively cleaved via the single electron transfer on the surface of a cathode or through a CO2 center dot (-) intermediate under additive-free conditions. A great diversity of beta-amino acids can be obtained in a moderate to excellent yield and readily converted to various biologically active compounds.