Electrochemical Intramolecular CH/OH Cross-Coupling of 2-Arylbenzoic Acids

A synthetic protocol to lactones by electro-oxidative induced CH activation of 2-arylbenzoic acids has been developed. By using Na2SO4 aqueous solution as a cheap and green supporting electrolyte, different 2-arylbenzoic acids could provide the corresponding lactones in 30%90% yields. This reaction could be conducted on a gram scale with a good efficiency as well as a high utility for natural product synthesis.