Greener iodination of arenes using sulphated ceria-zirconia catalysts in polyethylene glycol

An environmentally benign method for the selective monoiodination of diverse aromatic compounds has been developed using reusable sulphated ceria-zirconia under mild conditions. The protocol provides moderate to good yields and selectively introduces iodine at the para/ortho position in monosubstituted arenes. SO42-/Ce0.07Zr0.93O2 was found to be the best choice for the synthesis of aryl iodides in high yield, presumably due to the maximum number of acid sites (4.23 mmol g(-1)) among the various compositions of the catalyst system.