Flow reactor synthesis of unsymmetrically substituted p-terphenyls using sequentially selective Suzuki cross-coupling protocols

ABSTRACT Synthetic procedures, based on integrated flow chemical methods, have been developed for the sequential chemo-selective Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling of 1,4-dibromo-2-nitrobenzene (1) with various arylboronic acids. The first Suzuki coupling step used a phosphine-(ligand)-free palladium catalyst at room temperature and gave regio-selective coupling of (1) at the ortho-position to the nitro group. The bromo-biaryl product was then directly subjected in situ to a second coupling step, using different arylboronic acids, as a continuous in-flow operation. Based on this methodology, a number of unsymmetrically substituted p-terphenyl compounds were synthesized in excellent overall yields. This approach provides a convenient route to this class of compounds, and is suited for the generation of targeted chemical libraries, or the synthesis of precursors of biologically active natural product analogues that contain the p-terphenyl core. During the first coupling step, dimerization at low levels of the bromo-biaryl intermediate occurred, leading to formation of quaterphenyl compounds. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT Graphical Image illustrating the Flow Synthesis of Unsymmetrical p-Terphenyl