The use of CO2 as a C1 building block to access carboxylic acids is one of the key aspects in the context of carbon capture and utilization (CCU). Herein we report on an electrochemical carboxylation of allyl esters with CO2 at atmospheric pressure. This strategy enabled to the synthesis of diverse carboxylic acids without the need for a transition metal catalyst. Furthermore, the mechanism was studied through ICP‐MS analysis and cyclic voltammetry studies for the cross‐electrophile CO2 coupling.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have surfaced as increasingly viable components in optoelectronics and material sciences. The development of highly efficient and atom‐economic tools to prepare PAHs under exceedingly mild conditions constitutes a long‐term goal. Traditional syntheses of PAHs have largely relied on multistep approaches or the conventional Scholl reaction. However, Scholl reactions are largely inefficient with electron‐deficient substrates, require stoichiometric chemical oxidants, and typically occur in the presence of strong acid. In sharp contrast, electrochemistry has gained considerable momentum during the past decade as an alternative for the facile and straightforward PAHs assembly, generally via electro‐oxidative dehydrogenative annulation, releasing molecular hydrogen as the sole stoichiometric byproduct by the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). This review provides an overview on the recent and significant advances in the field of electrochemical syntheses of various PAHs until January 2023.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

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