A practical ligand-free copper(I) bromide-catalyzed fluoroalkoxylation of unactivated aryl bromides

An efficient ligand-free fluoroalkoxylation of unactivated aryl bromides has been developed, with special attention focused on practicability of the reaction. Without precious metal and organic ligand, the reaction was carried out under the catalytic system of inexpensive copper(I) bromide as a catalyst, N,N-dimethyl formamide as a cocatalyst, and the corresponding stoichiometric sodium fluoroalkoxide as a nucleophilic reagent. The facile approach avoids the drawbacks associated with cost, separation and pollution of ligand to enable sustainable access to aryl fluoroalkyl ethers from readily available bromoarenes.