Efficient Synthesis of Unsymmetrical Heteroaryl Ethers by a Transition Metal-Free CO Cross-Coupling Reaction of Activated and Unactivated Heteroaryl Chlorides with Alcohols and Phenols

By optimizing the reaction conditions via a careful screening of the bases and solvents, we developed an efficient transition metal-free method for CO cross-coupling of activated and unactivated heteroaryl chlorides with primary and secondary alcohols and phenols, providing a simple, efficient, and practical method for synthesis of the useful unsymmetrical heteroaryl alkyl and heteroaryl aryl ethers.