One-pot syntheses of 2,6-diiododiaryl ethers from <Emphasis Type="Italic">para</Emphasis>-EWG-substituted phenols by diacetoxyiodobenzene

2,6-Diiododiaryl ethers are not only useful blocks to construct substituted diaryl ethers but are also characteristic drug precursors. In this research, a one-pot tandem oxidation of phenols substituted with electron-withdrawing group at the para position by excess diacetoxyiodobenzene is proven as a novel and efficient method for preparing 2,6-diiododiaryl ethers. Using this method, three new 2,6-diiododiaryl ethers, namely, methyl 3,5-diiodo-2-methoxy-4-phenoxybenzoate (2), methyl 3,5-diiodo-4-phenoxybenzoate (6), and 1-(2,6-diiodo-4-nitrophenoxy)benzene (7) were readily obtained from the corresponding phenols, and the yields were good.