A vicarious synthesis of unsymmetrical meta- and para- terphenyls from 2H-pyran-2-ones

Temperature-controlled sequential Suzuki-Miyaura reactions for preparing unsymmetrical terphenyls

A one-pot protocol of double Suzuki-Miyaura reactions has been developed for the synthesis of unsymmetrical terphenyls. In the absence of a ligand, potassium bromophenyltrifluoroborate reacts with arylboronic acid and then sequentially with a hetero/aryl bromide by controlling the reaction temperature, providing unsymmetrical p- and m-terphenyl compounds in moderate to good overall yields. This protocol provides a convenient and practical approach to unsymmetrical terphenyls under ligand-free and aerobic conditions.