Fig. 1. Cross-coupling reactions of benzylic C–H bonds and alcohols via a radical relay pathway.
a, Conceptual similarity between traditional cross-coupling reactions of aryl halides and the targeted benzylic C–H functionalization reactions. b, Important examples of existing drug molecules containing benzylic ether moieties. c, Proposed radical relay mechanism for benzylic C–H etherification enabling the coupling of two diverse pools of substrates.