Highly active and reusable copper phthalocyanine derivatives catalyzed the hydroxylation of (hetero)aryl halides

We have researched and developed a series of copper phthalocyanine derivatives as new highly active and reusable catalysts for the hydroxylation of (hetero)aryl halides. The perfluorinated copper phthalocyanine (CuPcF16) showed the highest activity for the hydroxylation of aryl iodide with an excellent yield (up to 98%) under low catalytic loading (0.5 mol% CuPcF16). Similarly, the hydroxylation of aryl bromides and aryl chlorides catalyzed by CuPcF16 also had high activity with 42∼98% yield. Moreover, the recyclability of this catalyst can up to 6 times without significant loss in catalytic activity.