Palladium-Catalyzed para-C-H Arylation of Anilines with Aromatic Halides.

Controlling regioselectivity in C-H functionalizations is a key challenge in chemical method development. In arenes, functionalizations are most difficult to direct towards the C-H group furthest away from a substituent, in its para position. We herein demonstrate how the para-C-H arylation of anilines with non-activated aryl halides, elusive to date, is achieved by a base-assisted "metalla-tautomerism" approach. A proton is abstracted from the aniline substrate and replaced by an arylpalladium species, generated from the aryl halide coupling partner. In this step, the palladium is directed away from the N- to the tautomeric para-C-H position by a large phosphine ligand combined with a triphenylmethyl shielding group. The triphenylmethyl group is easily installed and removed, and can be recycled.

Ylide-Functionalized Phosphine (YPhos)-Palladium Catalysts: Selective Monoarylation of Alkyl Ketones with Aryl Chlorides.

Ylide-functionalized phosphine (YPhos) ligands allow the palladium-catalyzed α-arylation of alkyl ketones with aryl chlorides with record setting activity. Using a cyclohexyl-substituted YPhos ligand, a wide range of challenging ketone substrates was efficiently and selectively monoarylated under mild conditions. A newly designed YPhos ligand bearing tert-butyl groups on the coordinating phosphorus atom is already active at room temperature. The synthetic potential was demonstrated by gram-scale reactions and the succinct synthesis of ε-caprolactone derivatives.

Decarboxylative ipso Amination of Activated Benzoic Acids.

In the presence of a bimetallic Pd/Cu system with 1,10-phenanthroline as the ligand and either air or N-methylmorpholine N-oxide as the oxidant, electron-deficient benzoic acids undergo oxidative decarboxylative coupling with unprotected amines. This operationally simple aniline synthesis is widely applicable with respect to the amine and gives good yields, even on multigram scale. The orthogonality of this reaction to other Pd-catalyzed cross-couplings allows the concise synthesis of multisubstituted arenes by sequential C-C, C-Cl, and C-N functionalizations. Mechanistic investigations suggest the intermediacy of a hypervalent Pd species.

A Highly Active Ylide-Functionalized Phosphine for Palladium-Catalyzed Aminations of Aryl Chlorides.

Ylide-functionalized phosphine ligands (YPhos) were rationally designed to fit the requirements of Buchwald-Hartwig aminations at room temperature. This ligand class combines a strong electron-donating ability comparable to NHC ligands with high steric demand similar to biaryl phosphines. The active Pd species are stabilized by agostic C-H⋅⋅⋅Pd rather than by Pd-arene interactions. The practical advantage of YPhos ligands arises from their easy and scalable synthesis from widely available, inexpensive starting materials. Benchmark studies showed that YPhos-Pd complexes are superior to the best-known phosphine ligands in room-temperature aminations of aryl chlorides. The utility of the catalysts was demonstrated by the synthesis of various arylamines in high yields within short reaction times.