How To Perform Suzuki–Miyaura Reactions of Nitroarene or Nitrations of Bromoarene Using a Pd0 Phosphine Complex: Theoretical Insight and Prediction

Pd0(BrettPhos) (1) was experimentally applied to Suzuki–Miyaura reactions of nitroarenes which occur through oxidative addition of nitroarene (ArNO2) to Pd0. On the other hand, Pd0(tBu-BrettPhos) (2) was experimentally applied to nitrations of bromoarenes which occur through reductive elimination of nitroarene. DFT calculations disclosed that oxidative addition of 4-nitroanisole to 1 was exergonic but that to 2 was endergonic, indicating that 1 is useful for oxidative addition of an Ar–NO2 bond but 2 is useful for reductive elimination of an Ar–NO2 bond. This difference in reactivity between 1 and 2 is explained in that bulky tBu groups on tBu-BrettPhos destabilize the PdII complex PdII(Ar)­(NO2)­(tBu-BrettPhos) due to large steric repulsion between Ar and tBu-BrettPhos but less bulky cyclohexyl groups on BrettPhos do not. It is theoretically predicted here that NMe2-substituted BrettPhos is better for Ar–NO2 bond cleavage than BrettPhos but xyl-BrettPhos is good for Ar–NO2 formation, as is tBu-BrettPhos, where NMe2 and 2,6-dimethylphenyl groups are introduced to BrettPhos instead of isopropyl and cyclohexyl groups, respectively.