Copper(II)-catalyzed ether synthesis from aliphatic alcohols and potassium organotrifluoroborate salts.

[reaction: see text] A protocol for the copper(II)-catalyzed etherification of aliphatic alcohols under mild and essentially neutral conditions is described. Air- and moisture-stable potassium alkenyl- and aryltrifluoroborate salts undergo cross-coupling with a variety of aliphatic primary and secondary alcohols and phenols, and are tolerant of a range of functional groups. The optimized conditions utilize catalytic copper(II) acetate with 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine as ligand in the presence of 4 A molecular sieves under an atmosphere of oxygen.