Concise Synthesis of Ethericins A and B, C10-Deoxygerfelin, and Diorcinol

Abstract Naturally occurring diaryl ethers exhibit significant potential for pharmaceutical and agricultural applications owing to their diverse biological activities. Previous synthetic approaches to these bioactive molecules have predominantly focused on developing novel aryl–O–aryl bond formation methodologies. In this study, a two-phase synthetic strategy is presented, comprising a coupling phase establishing the ethereal linkage through SNAr reaction between simple aryl substrates, followed by a functionalization phase enabling precise introduction of diverse substituents through C–H activation and subsequent cross-coupling transformations. This modular approach has enabled the efficient synthesis of four natural products: ethericin A, ethericin B, C10-deoxygerfelin, and diorcinol.