Biaryl Synthesis by Ring-Opening Friedel-Crafts Arylation of 1,4-Epoxy-1,4-dihydronaphthalenes Catalyzed by Iron Trichloride

Biaryl and heterobiaryl compounds are important frameworks across a range of fields including pharmaceutical and functional material chemistries. We have accomplished the efficient synthesis of various naphthalene-linked arenes and heteroarenes as biaryls and heterobiaryls by the FeCl3-catalyzed Friedel-Crafts reactions accompanied by the ring-opening of the 1,4-epoxy moiety of 1,4-epoxy-1,4-dihydronaphthalenes. Especially, it is noteworthy that 1-silylated substrates were regioselectively transformed to the 3-aryl-1-silylnaphthalenes and the double Friedel-Crafts reactions using thiophene derivatives could directly produce the corresponding bis-naphthlated thiophene derivatives.