Synthesis of Diiodinated Biphenyls and Iodinated meta‐Terphenyls by Regioselective Suzuki–Miyaura Cross‐Coupling Reactions of 5‐Substituted 1,2,3‐Triiodobenzenes

Abstract A variety of 2,3‐diiodinated biphenyl and iodinated meta‐terphenyl derivatives were synthesized by a regioselective Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling reaction of 5‐substituted 1,2,3‐triiodobenzenes. By using 1 equiv. of arylboronic acid, the Suzuki–Miyaura reaction yielded 2,3‐diiodinated biphenyl derivatives with excellent regioselectivity. The coupling reaction predominantly occurred at the terminal position of the 5‐substituted 1,2,3‐triiodobenzene, which is the less sterically hindered and more electronically deficient site. With 2 equiv. of arylboronic acids, the one‐pot reaction provided iodinated meta‐terphenyls in good yields. This facile and efficient one‐step method is also quite general in scope as well as scalable.