Arylated products are found in various fields of chemistry and represent essential entities for many applications. Therefore, the formation of this structural feature represents a central issue of contemporary organic synthesis. By the action of electricity the necessity of leaving groups, metal catalysts, stoichiometric oxidizers, or reducing agents can be omitted in part or even completely. The replacement of conventional reagents by sustainable electricity not only will be environmentally benign but also allows significant short cuts in electrochemical synthesis. In addition, this methodology can be considered as inherently safe. The current survey is organized in cathodic and anodic conversions as well as by the number of leaving groups being involved. In some electroconversions the reagents used are regenerated at the electrode, whereas in other electrotransformations free radical sequences are exploited to afford a highly sustainable process. The electrochemical formation of the aryl-substrate bond is discussed for aromatic substrates, heterocycles, other multiple bond systems, and even at saturated carbon substrates. This survey covers most of the seminal work and the advances of the past two decades in this area.

The first electrochemical dehydrogenative C-C cross-coupling of thiophenes with phenols has been realized. This sustainable and very simple to perform anodic coupling reaction enables access to two classes of compounds of significant interest. The scope for electrochemical C-H-activating cross-coupling reactions was expanded to sulfur heterocycles. Previously, only various benzoid aromatic systems could be converted, while the application of heterocycles was not successful in the electrochemical C-H-activating cross-coupling reaction. Here, reagent- and metal-free reaction conditions offer a sustainable electrochemical pathway that provides an attractive synthetic method to a broad variety of bi- and terarylic products based on thiophenes and phenols. This method is easy to conduct in an undivided cell, is scalable, and is inherently safe. The resulting products offer applications in electronic materials or as [OSO] pincer-type ligands.

Boron‐doped diamond is a powerful and innovative material with outstanding properties, experiencing a strongly emerging interest in the chemical society as electrode material. BDD is generally used as a p‐doped semiconductor that can be applied for the disinfection and detoxification of waste‐water since very reactive intermediates can be formed. Besides this destructive performance of BDD electrodes the extraordinary characteristics can also be successfully employed in electro‐synthetic transformations. The performance is usually beyond and much superior to common electrode materials. A key step for the broad interdisciplinary field of application of this particular electrode material is the direct generation of oxyl radicals by electrochemical oxidation. The intention of this mini‐review is to provide the reader a brief overview of the current state of research and to illustrate the different fields of application. The methods applied are critically reviewed.

Solvent effect enables electrosynthesis of organic compounds with strong variation of electric current at constant efficacy.

The anodic C-C cross-coupling reaction is a versatile synthetic approach to symmetric and non-symmetric biphenols and arylated phenols. We herein present a metal-free electrosynthetic method that provides access to symmetric and non-symmetric meta-terphenyl-2,2''-diols in good yields and high selectivity. Symmetric derivatives can be obtained by direct electrolysis in an undivided cell. The synthesis of non-symmetric meta-terphenyl-2,2''-diols required two electrochemical steps. The reactions are easy to conduct and scalable. The method also features a broad substrate scope, and a large variety of functional groups are tolerated. The target molecules may serve as [OCO](3-) pincer ligands.