C-H arylation of unactivated arenes with aryl halides catalyzed by cobalt porphyrin

A general procedure for cobalt-catalyzed direct C-H arylation of unactivated arenes has been discovered. This method employs aryl halides as the direct coupling partners with arenes without using any Grignard-type reagents. This catalysis opens a new methodology for the preparation of symmetrical as well as unsymmetrical biaryls in a user-friendly approach.