Synthesis of polyfluorinated aryl ethers via ligand-free palladium-catalyzed C-F activation of pentafluorobenzene

An efficient, ligand-free palladium-catalyzed method for the cross coupling reaction of pentafluor-benzene with phenols was developed. This reaction proceeds via a highly selective C-F bond activation in the 3-position and is compatible with a variety of functional groups, delivering polyfluorinated aryl ethers in moderate to excellent yields. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.