An electrochemical method for deborylative seleno/thiocyanation of arylboronic acids under catalyst- and oxidant-free conditions

An electrochemical deborylative seleno/thiocyanation of arylboronic acids has been well established to synthesize the corresponding aryl seleno/thiocyanates with good functional group tolerance under ambient conditions. A gram-scale reaction has been performed to highlight the advantages of the protocol. Preliminary mechanistic studies indicate that the oxidation of the seleno/thiocyanate anion occurs prior to that of the arylboronic acid substrate in galvanostatic mode, and that free radicals are involved in the process.