Use of 2‑Bromophenylboronic Esters as Benzyne Precursors in the Pd-Catalyzed Synthesis of Triphenylenes

ortho-Substituted aryl boronates are introduced as aryne precursors for transition-metal-catalyzed transformations. On treatment with ^tBuOK and Pd(0), metal-bound aryne intermediates are formed that undergo effective trimerization to form useful triphenylene compounds. For meta-substituted arynes, the 3:1 product ratio in favor of non-C₃ symmetric material is indicative of a benzyne mechanism.