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Aryl bromides are known to be challenging substrates in the decarboxylative cross-electrophile coupling with redox-active NHP esters-the majority of such processes utilize aryl iodides. Herein, we describe the development of conditions that are suitable for the decarboxylative cross-electrophile coupling of NHP esters and a wide range of (hetero)aryl bromides. The key advances that allowed for the use of aryl bromides in this reaction are (1) the identification of ligand L3 as an optimal ligand for the use of electron-neutral and deficient aryl bromides and (2) the significant improvement in yield that iodide salts and excess heterogenous zinc impart to this reaction. A wide variety of NHP esters perform well under the optimized conditions, including methyl, primary, secondary, and several strained tertiary systems. Likewise, a variety of aromatic and heteroaromatic bromides relevant to medicinal chemistry perform well in this transformation, including an aryl bromide precursor to the known drug dapagliflozin.

A palladium catalyzed Negishi-type α-arylation of sulfones and sulfonamides with a broad range of aryl bromides has been developed. The substrates are selectively metalated in situ with tmp·ZnCl·LiCl base (tmp: 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine) and cross-coupled in the presence of a catalyst system that is generated from Pd(dba)2 and XPhos. Electron-deficient, electron-rich, and heterocyclic aryl bromides have been successfully cross-coupled, and sensitive functional groups are well tolerated. Simple aryl bromides are converted overnight at 60 °C in THF while heteroaryl bromides are efficiently coupled within 2 h at 130 °C in a microwave reactor. The desired monoarylated α-branched benzyl sulfones and sulfonamides were obtained in good yields, and overarylation was not detected. The procedure is ideal for late stage functionalization in parallel medicinal chemistry.

An efficient synthesis of the angiotensin II receptor antagonist telmisartan is presented involving a decarboxylative cross-coupling of isopropyl phthalate (1) with 2-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,3-dioxolane (2c) as the key step (85% yield). The benzimidazole moiety is constructed regioselectively via a reductive amination-condensation sequence, replacing the previously published route via alkylation of the preformed benzimidazole. The product is obtained in an overall yield of 35% in a convergent synthesis with the longest sequence consisting of eight steps.