Synthesis of bis(pyrrol-2-yl)arenes by Pd-catalyzed cross coupling

2-Borylpyrrole was prepared from 2-iodopyrrole almost quantitatively and then reacted with dihaloarenes under typical reaction conditions of Suzuki-Miyaura cross coupling to give bis(pyrrol-2-yl)arenes in good yields, while the cross coupling reaction of 2-iodopyrrole with 1,4-phenylenebisboronic acid was susceptible to oxidative self-coupling to produce 4,4′-bis(pyrrol-2-yl)biphenyl as a byproduct. These bis(pyrrol-2-yl)arenes showed strong fluorescence.

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