Triethanolamine as an Inexpensive and Efficient Ligand for Copper-Catalyzed Hydroxylation of Aryl Halides in Water.

The CuI/triethanolamine catalyst system efficiently promotes the direct hydroxylation of aryl iodides and bromides in water to provide the corresponding phenols in good to excellent yields. Moreover, the procedure avoids the use of toxic organic solvents and tolerates many functional groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]