C-H bond arylation of anilides inside copper-exchanged zeolites

Syntheses of fine-chemicals using heterogeneous catalysts have tremendous industrial potentials, yet C-H functionalization studies have been largely focused on homogeneous catalysis. We report here the first meta-selective C-H bond arylation of anilides inside copper-exchanged zeolites. Mid- or large-pore zeolite frameworks are selected as supports to access large organic molecules, and atomically distributed copper catalysts exhibit high activities (84-90% conversions) toward direct arylation of anilides with diphenyliodonium salt on 0.5 mol% copper concentration. Computational studies indicate the well fitted copper-aryl complexes inside zeolite frameworks. Electron micrographs, elemental analyses, and reusability study show no observable leaching of catalytically active copper species during the reactions tested. These results demonstrate the practical synthetic potential of copper-exchanged zeolites as promising supported molecular catalysts to afford biaryl motifs-containing compounds with high catalytic activity, chemical stability, and recyclability. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.