In recent years, diaryliodonium salts have been extensively exploited as green, efficient electrophilic arylation reagents in a large range of organic synthesis. These arylating reagents exhibit relatively high reactivity and good selectivity in many transformations. In this review, the synthetic methods towards diaryliodonium salts are described briefly. The research progress in arylation reactions by using diaryliodonium in C-C and carbon-heteroatom bond formation, especially in enantioselective C-C bond formation and cascade reactions, in past ten years is summarized and discussed in detail.

An efficient visible-light-assisted, copper-catalyzed tandem radical cyclization of N-propargylindoles with cyclic ethers is established. A series of 2-oxoalkyl-9H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]indol-9-ones with potential biological activities were synthesized in moderate yields by using a dual catalytic system with copper acetate as a transition metal catalyst and eosin Y as a visible light catalyst. The investigation of reaction mechanism shows that it goes through a cascade oxoalkyl radical addition, cyclization, and oxidation process.