Probing the Influence of PAd-DalPhos Ancillary Ligand Structure on Nickel-Catalyzed Ammonia Cross-Coupling

We report herein on the results of our combined experimental/computational study regarding the catalytic performance of PAd-DalPhos (L1) in nickel-catalyzed ammonia arylation for primary aniline synthesis. Primary arylamine C–N reductive eliminations occurring from arylnickel(II) parent amido complexes of the type (L)Ni(Ph)(NH2) were modeled by use of density-functional theory (DFT) methods, for a series of L1 derivatives. The dual aims were to assess the effect of structural modifications to L1 on potentially rate-limiting C–N reductive elimination and to identify promising candidates for experimental inquiry. Increasing the steric demand of the Paryl groups from o-tolyl (in L1) to mesityl (in L16) resulted in a significant lowering of the barrier to C–N reductive elimination (ΔG⧧RE), which can be attributed in part to interactions between the ligand Paryl groups and the nickel-bound amido ligand, as observed in noncovalent interaction (NCI) plots of the reductive elimination transition-state structures....