Transition Metal Catalyzed Synthesis of Arylamines and Aryl Ethers from Aryl Halides and Triflates: Scope and Mechanism

Oxidative addition and reductive elimination are the central steps in new palladium-catalyzed chemistry that forms C–N and C–O bonds in arylamines and ethers. In the potential mechanism shown on the right the amine is formed by reductive elimination from a four-coordinate, 16-electron amido aryl complex. The use of a chelating ligand such as 1,1′-bis(diphenylphosphanyl)ferrocene (DPPF) reduces the occurrence of the competing β-hydrogen elimination. X=Br, I; R, R′=alkyl, aryl.