Hindered aryl bromides for regioselective palladium-catalysed direct arylation at less favourable C5-carbon of 3-substituted thiophenes

The use of the congested aryl bromide 2-bromo-1,3-dichlorobenzene as coupling partner allows to modify the regioselectivity of the arylation of 3-substituted thiophene derivatives in favour of carbon C5. The coupling of this aryl bromide with a variety of 3-substituted thiophenes gave in all cases the desired 5-arylation products in moderate to good yields using only 0.5 mol % of a phosphine-free and air-stable palladium catalyst. Then, from these 5-arylthiophenes, a second palladium-catalysed C–H bond functionalization at C2 of the thiophene ring allows the synthesis of 2,5-diarylthiophenes with two different aryl units.