Room Temperature Catalyst System for the Hydroarylation of Olefins

Abstract

A simple protocol for the hydroarylation of olefins to yield diarylmethine products is described. A Friedel-Crafts-type synthetic strategy allows direct access to biorelevant products in high atom efficiency. A combination of substoichiometric amounts of TMSCl and ZnBr₂ promotes a rapid hydroarylation process at ambient temperature. The method is high yielding and is amenable to scale-up protocols.