An electrochemical method for deborylative selenylation of arylboronic acids under metal- and oxidant-free conditions

Abstract

An efficient protocol to synthesize aryl selenoethers through deborylative selenylation of widely available arylboronic acids has been established under electrochemical conditions in the absence of metal catalyst and external oxidant. The synthesis of bioactive molecules and gram-scale transformation have been performed to highlight the synthetic utility of the protocol. CV (cyclic voltammetry) experiment indicates that anodic oxidation of diselenide occurs prior to that of the arylboronic acid substrate under the standard conditions.