Selective terminal heck arylation of vinyl ethers with aryl chlorides: a combined experimental-computational approach including synthesis of betaxolol.

Reaction conditions have been developed for palladium-catalyzed terminal (beta-) arylation of acyclic vinyl ethers with high regioselectivity using inexpensive aryl chlorides as starting materials and the P(t-Bu)3 releasing preligand [(t-Bu3)PH]BF4 as the key additive. This swift and straightforward protocol exploits non-inert conditions and controlled microwave heating to minimize handling and processing times and uses aqueous DMF or environmentally friendly PEG-200 as the reaction medium. The selectivity for linear beta-product in PEG-200 is slightly higher than in aqueous DMF. DFT calculations support a ligand-driven selectivity rationale, where the electronic and steric influence of bulky P(t-Bu)3 ligand provides improved beta-selectivity in the essential insertion step also with electron-rich aryl chlorides. A tentative computational rationalization of the improved selectivity in non-methylated PEG is discussed. Finally the synthetic methodology was used to provide efficient access to linear p-[2-(cyclopropylmethoxy)ethyl] phenol from p-nitrophenyl chloride, a key intermediate in the synthesis of the beta-adrenergic blocking agent Betaxolol.