Synthesis of 9‐O‐Arylated Berberine with a Polystyrene Resin Supported Copper(II) Catalyst

A series of polyfluorobenzene, pyridine and aniline substituted berberine derivatives ( 3 b – 3 h ) were prepared via resin‐supported Cu(II) catalyzed cross‐coupling reactions of tetrahydroberberrubine with iodoarenes and subsequent I 2 oxidation. The best catalyst, a polyethyleneimine functionalized polystyrene supported Cu 2+ (PSAPA⋅Cu(II)), could be reused for at least 5 runs without significant loss of catalytic activity. Comparative studies on the morphology and porous structures of the materials suggested a catalyst with a moderate specific surface area and larger pore diameters was more active in catalyzing the cross‐coupling reactions.