Guidelines for the application of the Scholl reaction were developed. Labeling experiments demonstrate that the Scholl reaction fails in small, unsubstituted oligophenylenes (eg, o- terphenyl) due to oligomerization of the products (eg, triphenylene). Incorporation of suitably placed blocking groups (eg, t-butyl) suppresses oligomerization. The well-established directing group effects in electrophilic aromatic substitution predict the outcome of Scholl ...