2-aminopyrimidine-4,6-diol as an efficient ligand for solvent-free copper-catalyzed N-arylations of imidazoles with aryl and heteroaryl halides.

Efficient and solvent-free copper-catalyzed N-arylations of imidazoles with aryl and heteroaryl halides have been demonstrated. In the presence of CuBr, 2-aminopyrimidine-4,6-diol, and TBAF (n-Bu4NF), a variety of imidazoles underwent the N-arylation reaction with aryl and heteroaryl halides smoothly in moderate to excellent yields. Noteworthy is that the reaction is conducted under solvent-free conditions.