Diaryl ether synthesis in supercritical carbon dioxide in batch and continuous flow modes.

A high yielding, batch mode synthesis of diaryl ethers and sulfides by an S(N)Ar fluoride-mediated process in scCO(2) has been developed; the use of a polymer-supported imidazolium fluoride reagent in batch mode led to the development of a fixed-bed continuous flow process, with high conversions.