Phenolic compounds have long captivated the interest of organic synthesis, particularly in their quest for selective hydroxylation of arenes using H2O as a hydroxyl source but the inherent high reactivity and low redox potential of phenols often lead to undesirable overoxidation byproducts. Here the authors develop an electrophotochemical approach, finetuning substrate oxidative potential and enabling para-selective hydroxylation of anilides.
- Jianye Zhang
- Zhaoliang Yang
- Aiwen Lei