A convenient and efficient copper-catalyzed synthesis of unsymmetrical and symmetrical diaryl chalcogenides from arylboronic acids in ethanol at room temperature

A simple and convenient approach for the synthesis of unsymmetrical diaryl chalcogenides (Te, Se, and S) has been developed by copper-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of organoboronic acid with diaryl dichalcogenide in ethanol using NaBH₄ in air or oxygen. The present methodology is highly practical for the synthesis of unsymmetrical diaryl tellurides with various functionalities such as –NO₂, –F, –Br, and –COOH that have been obtained in good to excellent yields. Methodology is also effective for the synthesis of unsymmetrical diaryl selenides and sulfides. Moreover, symmetrical diaryl selenides have also been obtained from arylboronic acids using elemental selenium powder under optimized reaction conditions. The use of NaBH₄ is the key for the development of milder reaction conditions, which enable the construction of unsymmetrical diaryl chalcogenides from boronic acid substrates in ethanol at room temperature.