Ni-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling of Dimethyl Aryl Amines with Arylboronic Esters under Reductive Conditions

Herein,
we reported a successful Suzuki–Miyaura coupling
of dimethyl aryl amines to forge biaryl skeleton via Ni catalysis
in the absence of directing groups and preactivation. This transformation
proceeded with high efficiency in the presence of magnesium. Preliminary
mechanism studies demonstrated dual roles of magnesium: (i) a reductant
that reduced Ni­(II) species to active Ni­(I) catalyst; (ii) a unique
promoter that facilitated the Ni­(I)/Ni­(III) catalytic cycle.