Practical Ligand-Free Copper-Catalysed Short-Chain Alkoxylation of Unactivated Aryl Bromides

An efficient and practical short-chain alkoxylation of unactivated aryl bromides has been developed with special attention focussed on the applicability of the reaction. Sodium alkoxide is used as the nucleophile, and the corresponding alcohol as the solvent. The reaction requires neither precious metals nor organic ligands. It uses a catalytic system consisting of copper(I) bromide as a catalyst, the corresponding alkyl formate as a noncontaminating cocatalyst, and lithium chloride as an additive. A wide range of substrates and test cases highlight the synthetic utility of the approach. Considering the commercial accessibility and affordability of the feedstocks, this protocol shows promise as a new alternative for the sustainable preparation of aryl alkyl ethers.