SHORT COMMUNICATIONSDespite considerable interest in 2,5-disubstituted tetrazoles as potential substrates for the synthesis of biologically active substances, methods for their preparation have been developed to insufficient extent. Arylation of tetrazole and 5-substituted tetrazoles is one of the least studied reactions of these compounds. On the other hand, it may underlie a promising procedure for the preparation of difficultly accessible 2-substituted tetrazoles. Known methods for arylation of 5-substituted tetrazoles [1, 2] lead to formation of mixtures of isomeric 1,5-and 2,5-disubstituted derivatives. However, in some cases such reactions are characterized by high selectivity. For example, the arylation of 5-substituted tetrazolates [3-6] with diaryliodonium salts in the presence of different catalysts gives only 2,5-disubstituted tetrazoles. The arylation of 5-aryltetrazoles with 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene also occurs at the 2-position of the tetrazole ring with high selectivity [7].In continuation of our studies on the synthesis of functionally substituted tetrazoles under conditions of microwave activation [8,9], we examined arylation of 5-aryl(alkyl)tetrazoles with 4-nitrofluorobenzene in DMF in the presence of sodium hydroxide under microwave irradiation. We previously showed [2] that the arylation of 5-methylsulfanyltetrazole with 4-nitrofluorobenzene in DMF in the presence of sodium hydroxide yields a mixture of 1,5-and 2,5-disubstituted isomers. However, no arylation of 5-alkyl-or 5-aryltetrazoles occurred under analogous conditions despite microwave activation or conventional heating. Obviously, the reason is low nucleophilicity of tetrazolate ion and competing reaction of 4-nitrofluorobenzene with DMF.We presumed that arylation of 5-alkyl(aryl)tetrazoles could be accomplished in another polar solvent, dimethyl sulfoxide. In fact, the arylation of 5-aryltetrazoles with 4-nitrofluorobenzene in DMSO in the presence of sodium hydroxide under microwave activation or without it (on heating) gave only the corresponding 2,5-diaryltetrazoles. Our results showed that microwave irradiation increases the yield of the arylation products by a factor of 1.5 to 3. Below are given the yields of 2,5-diaryltetrazoles IIId-IIIg obtained in microwave-assisted reaction and under conventional heating, respectively, %: IIId, 55, 40; IIIe, 77, 40; IIIf, 67, 40; IIIg, 60, 21. High yields of the arylation products under microwave activation made it possible to simplify the isolation procedure and avoid additional purification. Thus microwave-assisted arylation of 5-aryltetrazoles with 4-nitrofluorobenzene in DMSO in the presence of sodium hydroxide may be regarded as one of the simplest and effective procedures for the synthesis of 2,5-diaryltetrazoles.The arylation of 5-methyl-, 5-benzyl-, and 5-(4-chlorobenzyl)tetrazoles in all cases afforded mixtures of isomeric 1-and 2-aryl-5-alkyltetrazoles. The ratio of isomeric tetrazoles IIa : IIIa was 2 : 3, and the R = Me (a), PhCH 2 (b), 4-ClC 6 H 4 CH 2