Nickel-Catalyzed C-H/C-O Coupling of Azoles with Phenol Derivatives

The first nickel-catalyzed C-H bond arylation of azoles with phenol derivatives is described. The new Ni(cod)(2)/dcype catalytic system is active for the coupling of various phenol derivatives such as esters, carbamates, carbonates, sulfamates, triflates, tosylates, and mesylates. With this C-H/C-O biaryl coupling, we synthesized a series of privileged 2-arylazoles, including biologically active alkaloids. Moreover, we demonstrated the utility of the present reaction for functionalizing estrone and quinine.