A practical and general synthesis of unsymmetrical terphenyls.

A synthetic procedure was developed that enables sequential chemoselective Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of chlorobromobenzene with arylboronic acids. The first coupling is achieved at room temperature using a ligandless palladium catalyst. The chlorobiaryl product can then be subjected directly to the second coupling, facilitated by the SPhos ligand. Using this methodology, parallel synthesis of 32 unsymmetrical o-, m-, and p-terphenyl compounds was accomplished in good to excellent overall yields.