Intramolecular O-arylation route to 2-substituted benzoxazoles mediated by ferrocene tethered polymer supported ionic liquid phase catalyst

A novel ferrocene tethered polymer supported ionic liquid phase catalyst has been synthesized and successfully applied for intramolecular O-arylation of o-iodoanilides to corresponding benzoxazoles. The catalyst was easily recovered by simple filtration that greatly simplified the purification step and resulted in quantitative yields, without ionic liquid impurities in the products.