Oxidative Decarboxylation
Oxidative Decarboxylation of Carboxylic Acids: Introduction
Oxidative decarboxylation is defined by the loss of carbon dioxide from a carboxylic acid by one-electron oxidation. Reaction of the resulting radical yields an alkene, alkane, acetate or halogenide.
Reactions of this type in which carbon is removed from the molecule are called degradation reactions.