Nickel-Catalyzed C–N Cross-Coupling of Ammonia, (Hetero)anilines, and Indoles with Activated (Hetero)aryl Chlorides Enabled by Ligand Design

The Ni(II) precatalyst ( C1 ) featuring the phosphonite ancillary ligand Phen-DalPhos ( L1 ) was employed in the cross-coupling of (hetero)anilines with (hetero)aryl chlorides and in the diarylation of ammonia with (hetero)aryl chlorides to afford heteroatom-dense di(hetero)arylamines. The PAd2-DalPhos precatalyst C4 provided complementary reactivity in cross-couplings of indoles with (hetero)aryl chlorides. Taken together, the demonstration of room-temperature reactivity within each of the reaction classes examined and the observation of useful chemoselectivity at low loading (≤0.5 mol % Ni) and on gram-scale distinguishes C1 and C4 from other metal catalysts (i.e., copper, palladium, nickel, or other) within the field of C–N cross-coupling chemistry.