The first application of α-d-galacturonic acid hydrate (GalA) is reported here, as a potential O-donor ligand. The C–N couplings of N-heterocycles with aryl halides or arylboronic acids could be readily conducted and exhibited good functional group tolerance with characters of selectivity. These N-arylazoles allow rapid access to several pharmaceutical intermediates and can be easily transformed into a variety of other interesting scaffolds as well.