Iron-catalyzed cross-coupling of alkyl sulfonates with arylzinc reagents.

Iron-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of primary and secondary alkyl sulfonates with arylzinc reagents proceed smoothly in the presence of excess TMEDA and a concomitant magnesium salt. The arylzinc reagents are prepared from the corresponding aryllithium or magnesium reagents with ZnI(2). The in situ formation of alkyl iodides and consecutive rapid cross-coupling avoids discrete preparation of the unstable secondary alkyl halides and also achieves high product selectivity.