有机电合成具有悠久的历史。1834年,Micheal Faraday发现,在硫酸铜溶液中通过96,500库仑电量的电流时,总是沉积出一克当量的铜,从而正确地描述了以他的名字命名的电化学定律。但是,Faraday当时并不满意,因为有机酸的盐类好像不遵守他这个定律,电解时似乎发生了一些其他反应。其实,他是发现了氧化脱羧而后偶合的反应,因为当时他用醋酸作实验时,得到的主要产物是乙烷。2CH_3COO~-→CH_3CH_3+2CO_2+2e~- 十五年之后,也就是1849年,Hermann Kolbe用长链脂肪酸研究此反应时才弄清了其中究竟。这就是有名的Kolbe反应。所以,一般都认为,有机电合成是从Kolbe开始的。至 Organic electro-synthesis has a long history. In 1834, Micheal Faraday found that when passing a current of 96,500 coulombs in copper sulfate solution, one gram of copper was always deposited, correctly describing the electrochemical law named after him. However, Faraday was not satisfied at the time because salts of organic acids did not seem to comply with his law, and there seemed to be some other reactions to electrolysis. In fact, he discovered the oxidative decarboxylation and coupling reaction, because when he was experimenting with acetic acid, the main product he got was ethane. 2CH_3COO ~ - → CH_3CH_3 + 2CO_2 + 2e ~ - Fifteen years later, in 1849, Hermann Kolbe was able to figure out what was going on when he studied the reaction with long chain fatty acids. This is the famous Kolbe reaction. Therefore, it is generally accepted that organic electrosynthesis begins with Kolbe. to