Chloroprocaine is favored in anesthesia for its effectiveness and safety but is produced through complex, environmentally harmful processes. There is a growing interest in developing greener, more cost-effective methods for producing chloroprocaine. Here, we establish a green and cost-effective photoelectrochemical (PEC) approach for synthesizing chloroprocaine from procaine using a WO₃ photoanode with oxygen vacancies. Achieving a high yield of 18.8 μmol cm⁻² h⁻¹ with selectivity of 92% and FE of 99%, this method leverages a free radical chain mechanism initiated by Cl· radicals formed over the WO₃. The incorporation of oxygen vacancies enhances light absorption and charge separation, facilitating Cl· and Cl₂ generation critical for its synthesis. We successfully produced 37.4 mg of chloroprocaine and 5.4 mL of hydrogen using a self-powered PEC device, demonstrating the method effectiveness and environmental friendliness for chloroprocaine synthesis and hydrogen production.

中文翻译：

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普鲁卡因光电化学合成氯普鲁卡因耦合制氢


氯普鲁卡因因其有效性和安全性而在麻醉中受到青睐，但其生产过程复杂且对环境有害。人们对开发更环保、更具成本效益的氯普鲁卡因生产方法越来越感兴趣。在这里，我们建立了一种绿色且经济高效的光电化学（PEC）方法，使用具有氧空位的WO ₃光阳极从普鲁卡因合成氯普鲁卡因。该方法利用由WO ₃上形成的Cl·自由基引发的自由基链机制，实现了18.8 μmol cm ^-2 h ^-1的高产率，选择性为92%，FE为99%。氧空位的结合增强了光吸收和电荷分离，促进了对其合成至关重要的Cl·和Cl ₂的生成。我们利用自供电PEC装置成功生产了37.4 mg氯普鲁卡因和5.4 mL氢气，证明了氯普鲁卡因合成和制氢方法的有效性和环境友好性。