Pd(II)-Catalyzed ortho- or meta-C-H Olefination of Phenol Derivatives

A combination of weakly coordinating auxiliaries and ligand acceleration allows for the development of both ortho- and meta-selective C-H olefination of phenol derivatives. These reactions demonstrate the feasibility of directing C-H functionalizations when functional groups are distal to target C-H bonds. The meta-C-H functionalization of electron-rich phenol derivatives is unprecedented and orthogonal to previous electrophilic substitution of phenols in terms of regioselectivity. These methods are also applied to functionalize alpha-phenoxyacetic acids, a fibrate class of drug scaffolds.