Synthesis of triarylmethanes by palladium-catalyzed C-H/C-O coupling of oxazoles and diarylmethanol derivatives.

A PdCl2(MeCN)2/PPhCy2 catalyst couples oxazoles with diarylmethyl carbonates or pivalates to form the corresponding triarylmethanes in good yields. The catalysis involves successive secondary benzylic sp(3) C-O and heteroaromatic sp(2) C-H cleavages and provides an effective access to heteroarene-containing triarylmethanes from nonhalogenated and nonmetalated starting materials, which is complementary to precedented cross-coupling technologies with organic halides and organometallic reagents.