Synthesis of 1,3-diarylated imidazo[1,5-a]pyridines with a combinatorial approach: metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of 1-halo-3-arylimidazo[1,5-a]pyridines with arylmetal reagents

The halogenation of 3-arylimidazo[1,5-a]pyridines was carried out with iodine, bromine, N-chlorosuccinimide, and 1-fluoro-2,4,6-trimethylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate as halogenating agents to give selectively halogenated products 1-halo-3-arylimidazo[1,5-a]pyridines in good to excellent yields. Kumada–Tamao–Corriu cross-coupling of the obtained 1-iodo-3-arylimidazo[1,5-a]pyridines and aryl Grignard reagents led to 1,3-diarylated imidazo[1,5-a]pyridines in good to excellent yields. Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling of the 1-bromo-3-phenylimidazo[1,5-a]pyridine and p- or m-methoxycarbonylphenylboronic acids furnished the coupling product in respective yields of 91% and 61%. The obtained 1,3-diarylated imidazo[1,5-a]pyridines showed a wide variety of fluorescent emissions in a wavelength range of 449–533 nm with improved quantum yields compared to monoarylated ones.