Palladium-catalyzed selective 2,3-diarylation of α,α-disubstituted 3-thiophenemethanols via cleavage of C-H and C-C bonds

alpha, alpha-Disubstituted 3-thiophenemethanols undergo selective diarylation accompanied by cleavage of the C-H and C-C bonds of the 2- and 3-positions, respectively, upon treatment with aryl bromides in the presence of a palladium catalyst to give the corresponding 2,3-diarylthiophenes in good yields.