Metal-free catalysis of sustainable Friedel–Crafts reactions: direct activation of benzene by carbon nitrides to avoid the use of metal chlorides and halogenated compounds

The use of mesoporous graphitic C3N4 for the activation of benzene permitted to perform more sustainable Friedel–Crafts reactions by allowing to directly use carboxylic acids, alcohols and even quaternary ammoniums or urea as electrophiles.