Potassium t-Butoxide Alone Can Promote the Biaryl Coupling of Electron-Deficient Nitrogen Heterocycles and Haloarenes

The biaryl coupling of electron-deficient nitrogen heterocycles and haloarenes can be promoted by potassium t-butoxide alone, without the addition of any exogenous transition metal species. Electron-deficient nitrogen heterocycles such as pyridine, pyridazine, pyrimidine, pyrazine, and quinoxaline are arylated with haloarenes. Control experiments support a radical-based mechanism. Taking these findings into account, radical processes may be partially involved in the reported transition-metal-catalyzed arylation reactions employing t-butoxide bases and haloarenes under elevated temperatures or under microwave irradiation.