• Precursor of organocopper reagents. Forms a 1:1-complex with triethyl phosphite, useful in the preparation of unsymmetrical biaryls by a room-temperature Ullmann-type coupling reaction: J. Am. Chem. Soc., 98, 8282 (1976); Tetrahedron Lett., 2767 (1978). For list of examples, see: Org. Synth. Coll., 8, 586 (1993).
• Has been used in an improved Ullmann synthesis of diaryl ethers with ultrasound activation: J. Chem. Soc., Perkin 1, 407 (1992), and also as a catalyst for the arylation of active methylene compounds: Synthesis, 67 (1983); J. Org. Chem., 58, 7606 (1993).
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The formation of Cu(I) acetylides from terminal acetylenes, and their coupling with aryl or vinyl iodides, known as the Castro-Stephens reaction: J. Org. Chem., 28, 3313 (1963), is more often now carried out in situ with a Pd catalyst (the Sonogashira coupling), e.g. with trans-Dichlorobis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(II), 10491: Tetrahedron Lett., 4467 (1975); J. Org. Chem., 63, 8551 (1998), or Tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(0), 10548: Tetrahedron Lett., 30, 6997 (1989); Org. Synth. Coll., 9, 117 (1998); Synlett, 1387 (1998).