Chlorination and ortho-acetoxylation of 2-arylbenzoxazoles.

Efficient and facile catalytic protocols for chlorination and ligand-directed ortho-acetoxylation of 2-arylbenzoxazoles have been developed. The chlorination is not a ligand-directed ortho-functionalization, but an electrophilic substitution process in the benzo ring of the benzoxazole moiety. Meanwhile, the acetoxylation exhibited high regioselectivity for the substrates containing a meta-substituent and occurred at the less sterically hindered ortho-C-H bond of the directing group.