Selective electrochemical para-thiocyanation of aromatic amines under metal-, oxidant- and exogenous-electrolyte-free conditions.

An electrochemical oxidative para-C-H-thiocyanation of aromatic amines has been developed to construct thiocyanato aromatic compounds under metal-, oxidant-, and exogenous-electrolyte-free conditions in an undivided cell. The transformation is compatible with a range of primary, secondary, and tertiary amines and shows good functional group tolerance. This approach provides an economical and environmentally benign way for para-thiocyanation of aromatic amines.