Nickel-Catalyzed Amination of Aryl Thioethers: A Combined Synthetic and Mechanistic Study

Herein, we report a nickel-1,2-bis-(dicyclohexylphosphino)ethane (dcype) complex for the catalytic Buchwald-Hartwig amination of aryl thioethers. The protocol shows broad applicability with a variety of different functional groups tolerated under the catalytic conditions. Extensive organo-metallic and kinetic studies support a nickel(0)-nickel(II) pathway for this transformation and revealed the oxidative addition complex as the resting state of the catalytic cycle. All the isolated intermediates have proven to be catalytically and kinetically competent catalysts for this transformation. The fleeting transmetalation intermediate has been successfully synthesized through an alternative synthetic organometallic pathway at lower temperature, allowing for in situ NMR study of the C-N bond reductive elimination step. This study addresses key factors governing the mechanism of the nickel-catalyzed Buchwald-Hartwig amination process, thus improving the understanding of this important class of reactions.