Metal-Free Electrocatalytic Aerobic Hydroxylation of Arylboronic Acids

Hydroxylation of arylboronic acids to aryl alcohols was realized by a scalable electrocatalytic method. The present electrochemical hydroxylation employs low-cost methyl viologen as an organic cathodic electrocatalyst and involves O2 as a green and sustainable reactant. The electrochemical kinetic studies shown here can be a powerful tool to gain rich mechanistic and kinetic information and thus an in-depth understanding of the electrocatalytic mechanism.