Ni-catalyzed 1,2-diarylation of unactivated alkenes directed by diverse azaheterocycles

A nickel-catalyzed heterocycle-directed 1,2-diarylation of alkenes with aryl iodide electrophiles and arylboronic acid neopentyl ester nucleophiles is reported. A series of 1,2,4-tri(hetero)aryl products are prepared under mild conditions. A collection of azaheterocycle directing groups, including indazoles, pyrazoles, triazoles, and tet-razoles, enable the transformation, giving moderate to excellent yields. A large-scale reaction was performed to show the preparative utility of the method.