Palladium-catalyzed desulfitative C-arylation of a benzo[d]oxazole C-H bond with arene sulfonyl chlorides.

A palladium-catalyzed direct desulfitative C-arylation of a benzo[d]oxazole C-H bond with arene sulfonyl chlorides is described. The procedure tolerates halo, cyano, nitro, trifluoromethyl, acetyl and acetylamino groups on the phenyl ring of sulfonyl chlorides, providing the arylation products in moderate to good yields. It represents a practical and attractive alternative for the synthesis of 2-aryl benzoxazoles. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011