Copper(II) Fluoride a New Efficient Promoter of Chan-Lam-Evans Coupling

Abstract

The Chan-Lam-Evans coupling is the copper(II) acetate promoted reaction of phenols and boronic acids producing diaryl ethers. In this paper a modification of the original reaction is reported using copper(II) fluoride reagent which gives higher yields than copper(II) acetate. The most significant increase in yield was observed in formation of sterically hindered phenols. We hypothesize that fluoride ions help to cleave the boron-carbon bond. The novel method is suitable for selective, efficient and economical synthesis of diaryl ether compounds under mild conditions.