Copper(II)-catalyzed hydroxylation of aryl halides using glycolic acid as a ligand.

Copper(II)-catalyzed hydroxylation of aryl halides has been developed to afford functionalized phenols. The protocol utilizes the reagent combination of Cu(OH)2, glycolic acid, and NaOH in aqueous DMSO, all of which are cheap, readily available, and easily removable after the reaction. A broad range of aryl iodides and activated aryl bromides were transformed into the corresponding phenols in excellent yields. Moreover, it has been shown that C-O(alkyl)-coupled product, instead of phenol, can be predominantly formed under similar reaction conditions.