Abstract

Aryl halides have versatile applications. For example, they are useful precursors for metal-catalyzed cross-couplings reactions, which have been widely employed in the synthesis of natural products and organic materials. N-Haloamide reagents are commonly used in the preparation of aryl halides because of they are commercially available and easy to handle. To improve the reactivity of N-haloamide reagents, several methods have been developed and Lewis base organocatalysts have proven to be particularly useful in accessing aryl halides under mild conditions with high functional group compatibility.1 However, the reaction mechanism remains unclear up-to-date. 

In this research, we performed various spectroscopic studies and X-ray crystallographic analysis and unrevealed the active species in this type of reaction. The mechanistic studies and applications will be presented. 

Reference:

1. Denmark, S. E.; Beutner, G. L. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2008, 47, 1560–1638.