A General Approach towards Catechol and Pyrogallol through Ruthenium- and Palladium-Catalyzed C-H Hydroxylation by Weak Coordination

An efficient ruthenium(II)- and palladium(II)-catalyzed CH hydroxylation of aryl carbamates has been developed for the facile synthesis of catechols and pyrogallols. The reaction demonstrates excellent reactivity, regio- and chemoselectivity, good functional group compatibility and high yields. The practicality of this method has been proved by a gram-scale synthesis.