Direct Arylation of Benzyl Ethers with Organozinc Reagents.

A novel C(sp(3))-H bond arylation of benzyl ethers with Knochel-type arylzinc reagents has been developed. This transition metal-catalyst-free reaction proceeds well under mild conditions in a simple and effective manner and enables the synthesis of a wide range of potentially biologically active benzyl ethers by using highly functionalized organozinc reagents as a carbon nucleophile.