Visible-Light-Driven Dehydrogenative Coupling of Primary Alcohols with Phenols Forming Aryl Carboxylates.

A preparative method for obtaining aryl esters from aliphatic primary alcohols and phenols was developed. The reaction proceeds under the irradiation of visible light at ambient temperature, dispensing with any oxidant or hydrogen acceptor. Primary alcohols having a variety of functional groups are successfully esterified with phenols. The produced esters can be utilized as the precursor of various carbonyl compounds.