Palladium-Catalyzed Aminocarbonylation Reaction to Access 1,3,4-Oxadiazoles using Chloroform as the Carbon Monoxide Source

A palladium-catalyzed aminocarbonylation reaction of aryl halides with chloroform and tetrazoles has been developed, where chloroform was employed as the carbon monoxide (CO) source in the presence of cesium hydroxide. The in situ generated N-acylated tetrazoles were unstable and easily decomposed to afford 2,5-disubstituted 1,3,4-oxadiazoles. A wide range of tetrazoles and aryl halides reacted smoothly under the optimized reaction conditions to give the corresponding products in moderate to good yields.