Generation of Diarylcarbenium Ion Pools via Electrochemical C-H Bond Dissociation

The cation pools of diarylcarbenium ions have been generated by the low-temperature electrochemical oxidation of diphenylmethane derivatives. In addition to diphenylmethanes having various substituents, 9,10-dihydroanthracene, dibenzosuberane, and xanthenes, which are annulated derivatives of diphenylmethane were also found to serve as a precursor of cation pools. The generation of the diarylcarbenium ion was confirmed by low-temperature NMR analysis and cold-spray mass analysis. Reactivity was also investigated by reactions with various carbon nucleophiles such as allyltrimethylsilane, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, and anisole.