Synthesis of benzoxazoles via intramolecular cyclization of ortho-halobenzanilides using copper fluorapatite catalyst

An efficient method for the synthesis of benzoxazoles via intramolecular cyclization of ortho-haloanilides using heterogeneous copper fluorapatite catalyst is described. A variety of orthohaloanilides (iodo-, bromo- and chloroanilides) were cyclized to the corresponding benzoxazoles, demonstrating the versatility of the ­reaction.