Organic Electrosynthesis - Fundamentals and Applications of Organic Electrochemistry - page 209

Figure 6.8 Suspension electrolysis
6.4.3 Electrolysis Using Phase-Transfer
Catalysis
Anodic aromatic substitutions have been
carried out using dispersions of an organic
solvent (usually methylene chloride) in aqueous
media. Current flow takes place mainly through
the relatively conducting aqueous phase
(thereby lowering power costs) while the
synthetic reactions have been assumed to be
confined to the organic phase; the function of
the phase-transfer catalyst is to transfer with
anions into the organic phase both to confer
adequate conductivity to this phase and to
provide the coupling agent (e.g. CN − or
CH 3 COO − ) for the intermediates generated
from the aromatic substrates ( Figure 6.9 ).