One-Pot Synthesis of 2,3-Diarylbenzofurans via Sequential Iodocyclization and Pd-Catalyzed Suzuki Coupling Reactions of 2-Alkynylanisoles with Boronic Acids in Water

Abstract

An efficient approach for the one-pot synthesis of 2,3-diarylbenzofurans via sequential iodocyclization and Pd-catalyzed Suzuki coupling reaction of 2-alkynylanisoles with boronic acids in water is reported. The protocol utilizes water as the solvent and there is no need to isolate the intermediate 3-iodine-2-arylbenzofurans, which exemplifies the ideal of green chemistry. Various 2-alkynylanisoles and boronic acids can participate in the reactions, providing a series of 2,3-diarylbenzofurans for drug discovery in moderate to good yields.