Synthesis of aryl ethers

摘要

A method for preparing an aryl ether compound is provided in which an alcohol is reacted with an aromatic compound in the presence of a base, and a transition metal catalyst selected from the group consisting of platinum and nickel to form an aryl ether. The aromatic compound comprises an activated substituent, X, said activated substituent being a moiety such that its conjugate acid HX has a pKa of less than 5.0. The catalyst is preferably a soluble palladium complex in the presence of supporting ligands.