Practical synthesis of 5-aryl-3-alkylsulfonyl-phenol and 5-aryl-3-arylsulfonyl-phenol libraries.

A straightforward and cost-effective synthesis of 5-aryl-3-alkylsulfonyl-phenols by a sequential scaffold derivatization strategy has been developed. The procedure is suitable for parallel synthesis of small libraries around the biphenyl privileged core having an unusual 1,3,5-substitution pattern. The synthesis is exemplified by a pilot library of 30 compounds.