Direct C-H bond arylation of (benzo)oxazoles with aryl chlorides catalyzed by N-heterocyclic carbene-palladium(II)-1-methylimidazole complex.

The direct C-H bond arylation of (benzo)oxazoles with aryl chlorides was achieved catalyzed by a well-defined NHC-Pd(II)-Im complex. Under the optimal conditions, various aryl chlorides were successfully applied as the arylating reagents to achieve the 2-aryl (benzo)oxazoles in acceptable to high yields, providing a convenient and alternative method for the direct C-H bond arylation of (benzo)oxazoles and enriching the chemistry of the NHC-Pd(II) complex in organic synthesis.

N-heterocyclic carbene-palladium(II)-1-methylimidazole complex catalyzed α-arylation of oxindoles with aryl chlorides and aerobic oxidation of the products in a one-pot procedure.

NHC-Pd(II)-Im complex 1 was found to be an effective catalyst for the α-arylation of unprotected oxindoles with aryl chlorides to give products 4 in 44-98% yields under a N2 atmosphere. Furthermore, if the reactions were first performed under conditions identical to those for the α-arylation reaction for 12 h and then exposed to air for another 3 h, 3-aryl-3-hydroxy-2-oxindoles 5 can be obtained in 49-84% yields in a one-pot procedure.