Direct C-N coupling of azoles with ethers via oxidative C-H activation under metal-organic framework catalysis

A metal-organic framework Fe3O(BPDC)(3) was synthesized, and used as a productive heterogeneous catalyst for the direct C-N coupling of azoles with ethers via oxidative C-H activation to produce azole derivatives. The MOF-based catalyst displayed higher catalytic efficiency than many homogeneous catalysts as well as several MOFs in the transformation. The MOF-based catalyst could be reused many times for the synthesis of azole derivatives by the direct C-N coupling of azoles with ethers without a noteworthy deterioration in catalytic efficiency. To the best of our knowledge, this direct C-N coupling reaction was not previously performed in the presence of heterogeneous catalysts. (C) 2016 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.