Bismuth(III)-Catalyzed Dehydrative Etherification and Thioetherification of Phenolic Hydroxy Groups

Use of a bismuth catalyst allowed efficient dehydrative substitution of phenolic hydroxy groups with alcohols and thiols to form C-O and C-S bonds. The reaction required equimolar amounts of two readily available substrates that generated H2O as the only byproduct. The relatively mild reaction conditions were compatible with the functional groups selected, and provided excellent chemoselectivity.