A general method for the formation of diaryl selenides using copper(I) catalysts

We report a mild, palladium-free synthetic protocol for the cross coupling reaction of aryl iodides and phenyl selenol using 10 mol% CuI/neocuproine, NaOt-Bu or K2CO3 as base, in toluene, at 110°C. Using this protocol, we show that a variety of diaryl selenides can be synthesized in good yields from commercially available aryl iodides.