DMF-Assisted Radical Cyclization of o-Isocyanodiaryl Ethers via 1,5-Aryl Migration: Construction of 2-Arylbenzoxazoles

A novel DMF-assisted radical cyclization of o-isocyanodiaryl ethers via 1,5-aryl migration has been developed for the synthesis of a series of 2-arylbenzoxazoles by the FeCl3/TBHP/Et3N catalytic system in DMF. However, N,N-dimethylbenzo[d]thiazole-2-carboxamide and N,N-dimethylbenzo[d]selenazole-2-carboxamide were obtained from the corresponding substrate 2-isocyanophenyl p-methoxyphenyl thioether and 2-isocyanodiphenyl selenoether under the same conditions. A possible mechanism may involve aryl 1,5-migration and DMF-assisted radical cyclization of o-isocyanodiaryl ethers.