Palladium-catalysed direct arylations of heteroaromatics using more eco-compatible solvents pentan-1-ol or 3-methylbutan-1-ol

The palladium-catalysed direct coupling of aryl halides with heteroaromatics in greener solvents than DMF or DMAc, which are often employed for such couplings, would be a considerable advantage for both industrial application and sustainable development. We observed that a range of aryl bromides undergoe coupling via C-H bond activation/functionalisation reaction of thiazoles or imidazoles in moderate to good yields using pentan-1-ol or 3-methylbutan-1-ol as the solvents. Pentan-1-ol and 3-methylbutan-1-ol are less toxic than DMF or DMAc, moreover they are bioresources as they can be obtained by fermentation. Therefore, these reaction conditions are certainly more eco-compatible than those generally employed for such couplings. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.