Construction of 2‑(2-Arylphenyl)azoles via Cobalt-Catalyzed C–H/C–H Cross-Coupling Reactions and Evaluation of Their Antifungal Activity

Although compounds with a 2-(2-arylphenyl) benzoxazole motif are biologically important, there are only a few methods for synthesizing them. Herein, we report an efficient method for synthesis of such compounds by means of cobalt-catalyzed C–H/C–H cross-coupling reactions. This method has a broad substrate scope and good tolerance for sensitive functional groups. In addition, we demonstrate that introducing a heteroarene moiety to biphenyl compounds enhanced their antifungal activity.