Solid phase synthesis of functionalized biaryl ethers: versatile scaffolds for combinatorial chemistry.

4-Fluoro-3-nitrobenzoic acid attached to a solid support was shown to react under mild conditions with a wide range of functionalized phenols to yield, after cleavage, the corresponding biaryl ethers in excellent purity. In a similar fashion, biaryl thioethers could be obtained. Further elaboration of immobilized biaryl ethers demonstrates the potential for combinatorial library generation.