A new, mild one-pot synthesis of iodinated heterocycles as suitable precursors for N-heterocyclic carbene complexes

The use of I2/AgOAc in dichloromethane constitutes a cheap, mild, and efficient method for the selective iodination of a variety of heterocycles. In a number of cases, this method provides superior yields to other literature methods and affords iodo-functionalized heterocycles that are suitable precursors for carbene complexes.