Scalable and Practical Approach of Phenol Formation from Hydroxylation of Arylboronic Acids under Metal-, Photocatalyst-, and Light-Free Conditions.

Phenols are of particular importance owing to their widespread application in various fields, including life sciences and synthetic chemistry. However, the typical synthetic strategies of phenol either rely on metal- or photo-catalysts or involve stringent conditions such as high temperature, strong oxidants, and acidic or basic environments. Herein, we present a remarkably simple, ecofriendly, and photocatalyst-free synthesis of phenols. In contrast to conventional methods, which relies on expensive catalysts or hazardous reagents, the current diacetoxyiodobenzene-mediated hydroxylation of arylboronic acid protocol offers significant improvement in terms of costs, operational simplicity, toxicity, and sustainability. The reaction does not require high temperature or light activation and shows good functional group compatibility and conversion efficiency (55-96%). Moreover, these mild reaction conditions are also useful for gram-scale synthesis without compromising the reaction yield.