Aerobic homocoupling of arylboronic acids using Cu-doped amorphous zirconia: impact of catalyst amorphousness on reaction efficiency†
Abstract
CuO/am-ZrO2 promotes the homocoupling of boronic acids under air and mild conditions without requiring external additives owing to the presence of easily reducible [CuO4] clusters. This catalyst suppresses the adsorption of MeOH solvent, thereby reducing MeOH-related side reactions and enhancing the selectivity and efficiency of the desired reaction.