Rhodium(III)‐Catalyzed ortho‐Heteroarylation of Phenols through Internal Oxidative CH Activation: Rapid Screening of Single‐Molecular White‐Light‐Emitting Materials

Reported herein is the first example of a transition-metal-catalyzed internal oxidative C-H/C-H cross-coupling between two (hetero)arenes through a traceless oxidation directing strategy. Without the requirement of an external metal oxidant, a wide range of phenols, including phenol-containing natural products, can undergo the coupling with azoles to assemble a large library of highly functionalized 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)azoles. The route provides an opportunity to rapidly screen white-light-emitting materials. As illustrative examples, two bis(triphenylamine)-bearing 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)oxazoles, which are difficult to access otherwise, exhibit bright white-light emission, high quantum yield, and thermal stability. Also presented is the first example of the white-light emission, in a single excited-state intramolecular proton transfer system, of 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)azoles, thus highlighting the charm of C-H activation in the discovery of new organic optoelectronic materials.