Sodium diarylbismuthide as a reagent for the bismuthanation of reactive arenes. Application to the synthesis of mixed triarylbismuthanes bearing a substituent group incompatible with Grignard and organolithium reagents

Several mixed triarylbismuthanes bearing an electron-withdrawing functionality, such as the nitro, carbonyl, or ester group, which are inaccessible by the conventional methods based on organometallic reagents such as Grignard and organolithium compounds, are synthesized in low to acceptable yields by the reaction of in situ generated sodium diarylbismuthide with iodoarenes or arenediazonium tetrafluoroborates.