Continuous synthesis of hexanitrostilbene using a difunctional electrochemical reactor†

The adoption of electrochemical reactors has effectively mitigated the environmentally detrimental challenges in industrial manufacturing processes. A novel method for the eco-friendly synthesis of hexanitrostilbene using a difunctional electrochemical reactor is introduced, facilitating effective blending of feedstock and transformation of C–C bonds into CC bonds simultaneously. The effectiveness has been confirmed by significant improvements in yield, increasing from 36% to 58.5% when exposed to 8 mA current for 30 min. Moreover, the purity rose from 86% to 98.2%, accompanied by a notable elevation in the decomposition temperature of hexanitrostilbene.