Abstract
Coupling of phenols and aryl bromides can efficiently be performed by the mean of catalytic amounts of copper iodide and inexpensive ligand 1 (structure given in Table 1). The reaction is applicable to a wide range of substrates and proceed at 60-80 °C, lowest temperatures reported to date for Ullmann-type synthesis of diaryl ethers. Moreover, the use of aryl bromides and inexpensive K3PO4 as base make this method attractive for application at an industrial scale.