Preparation of an Arenylmethylzinc Reagent with Functional Groups by Chemoselective Cross-Coupling Reaction of Bis(iodo­zincio)methane with Iodoarenes

Abstract

Palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of bis(iodozincio)methane with iodoarenes carrying various functionalities such as ester, boryl, cyano, and halo groups proceeded chemoselectively to give the corresponding arenylmethylzinc species efficiently. The moderate reactivity of the <i>gem</i>-dizinc reagent imparted functional group tolerance to the process. The transformations from iodoheteroarenes were also performed; in the case of iodopyridine derivatives, the nickel-catalyzed reaction gave the corresponding organozinc species efficiently. The obtained arenylmethylzinc species underwent the copper-mediated coupling reaction with a range of organic halides.