Efficient Approach To Construct Unsymmetrical Biaryls through Oxidative Coupling Reactions of Aromatic Primary Alcohols and Arylboronic Acids with a Rhodium Catalyst

Unsymmetrical biaryls were synthesized by oxidative coupling reactions between aromatic primary alcohols and arylboronic acids through the C–C bond cleavage of the primary alcohols chelated with a rhodium catalyst. The desired unsymmetrical biaryl products were obtained in good to excellent yields under the optimized reaction conditions. A wide variety of functionalities are compatible with the reaction under the optimized conditions. This new coupling strategy provides a favorable method to construct valuable biaryl compounds from aromatic primary alcohols which are cheap, environmentally friendly, and easily accessible substrates.