Iron-catalyzed homocoupling of aryl halides and derivatives in the presence of alkyllithiums.

Direct synthesis of biaryl derivatives from aryl halides takes place under very mild temperature conditions by using a ligand-free iron catalytic system. The procedure, which proceeds via an in situ quantitative aryl halide exchange with alkyllithiums, allows for excellent control of the reactivity and is in line with the sustainable development. The method is also applicable to styryl and benzyl halides and to phenylacetylene.