Intramolecular O-arylation route to 2-substituted benzoxazoles mediated by ferrocene tethered polymer supported ionic liquid phase catalyst

A novel ferrocene tethered polymer supported ionic liquid phase catalyst has been synthesized and successfully applied for intramolecular O-arylation of o-iodoanilides to corresponding benzoxazoles. The catalyst was easily recovered by simple filtration that greatly simplified the purification step and resulted in quantitative yields, without ionic liquid impurities in the products. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.