High-valence CuIICuIII species in action: demonstration of aliphatic C-H bond activation at room temperature.

The electrochemically generated CuIICuIII mixed-valence species promotes activation of strong aliphatic C-H bonds (i.e. toluene) at room temperature. The mechanistic pathway turns from stoichiometric to catalytic upon addition of base, hence demonstrating that such high-valence dicopper species can be key reactive intermediates in copper-based oxidative processes.