Abstract: The commercially available ligand P(OCH₂CH₃)₃ was first used in the copper catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of aryl iodides with alkynes. The influences of different copper salts, metal purity, bases, and catalyst dosages were investigated. The results indicate that the coupling of a broad range of aryl iodides with alkynes can be catalyzed by the system of 5 mol% CuI/ P(OCH₂CH₃)₃ efficiently. In addition, this catalyst also exhibits good activity in the synthesis of 2-phenyl-benzofuran in one pot, which provides an economical way for the synthesis of similar compounds.

Key words: cuprous iodide, triethyl phosphite, aryl iodide, alkyne, cross-coupling reaction