Electrochemical N‐Centered Radical‐Triggered Intramolecular N‐N Coupling for the Cyclization of o‐Aminyl Azobenzenes

An electrochemical radical cyclization of o‐aminyl azobenzenes via N‐centered radical generation has been developed for the synthesis of benzotriazoles. The cyclization of o‐aminyl azobenzenes bearing a sulfonyl protection on amine readily proceeds in the absence of any external transition metal catalyst or chemical oxidant, and exhibits good tolerance towards functional groups.