Herein, we describe a synthetic approach for arylation that exploits the in situ formation and reaction of an unsymmetrical diaryliodonium salt. In this way, aryl iodides are used as reagents in a metal-free reaction with phenols, and a trimethoxyphenyl (TMP) group is used as a "dummy" group to facilitate transfer of a wide range of aryl moieties. The scope of aryl electrophiles and phenol nucleophiles is broad (> 30 examples) and the yields are high (52-95%, 80% avg.). One-pot coupling reactions avoid the synthesis of diaryliodonium salts and provide opportunities for sequential reactions and novel chemoselectivity.

Herein, we describe the synthesis of N-aryl phthalimides by metal-free coupling of potassium phthalimide with unsymmetrical aryl(TMP)iodonium tosylate salts. The aryl transfer from the iodonium moiety occurs under electronic control with the electron-rich trimethoxyphenyl group acting as a competent dummy ligand. The yields of N-aryl phthalimides are moderate to high and the coupling reaction is compatible with electron-deficient and sterically encumbered aryl groups.

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