Uncatalysed coupling of an activated aryl chloride with aryllithium and aryl Grignard reagents

Formation of biaryls occurs in reasonable yields under convenient conditions for both aryllithium reagents and aryl Grignard reagents. Substitution of the chloro group in 2-(2-chlorophenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-2-oxazoline to afford biaryls occurs upon reaction with either aryllithium reagents or aryl Grignard reagents. The reactions with Grignard reagents occur under similar conditions to a previously reported manganese-catalysed procedure. The reactions with lithium reagents, whilst not always affording greater yields of product than the Grignard reagents, involve much shorter reaction times and afford yields, which are comparable with those obtained from the corresponding fluoro derivative. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Faculty of Science, Cairo UniversityWe thank the Science Faculty of Ege University and the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) for their financial support. -