Palladium-Catalyzed Directed para C-H Functionalization of Phenols.

Various practical methods for the selective C-H functionalization of the ortho and recently also of the meta position of an arene have already been developed. Following our recent development of the directing-group-assisted para C-H functionalization of toluene derivatives, we herein report the first remote para C-H functionalization of phenol derivatives by using a recyclable silicon-containing biphenyl-based template. The effectiveness of this strategy was illustrated with different synthetic elaborations and by the synthesis of various phenol-based natural products.