Mild Copper-Catalyzed Addition Of Arylboronic Esters To Di-Tert-Butyl Dicarbonate: An Easy Access To Methyl Arylcarboxylates

An efficient copper-catalyzed addition of arylboronic esters to (Boc)(2)O was developed. The reaction can be conducted under exceedingly mild conditions and is compatible with a variety of synthetically relevant functional groups. It therefore represents a useful alternative route for the synthesis of methyl arylcarboxylates. A preliminary mechanistic study indicated the involvement of an addition-elimination mechanism.