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.