Dynamic Kinetic Cross-Electrophile Arylation of Benzyl Alcohols by Nickel Catalysis
Peng Guo, Ke Wang, Wen-Jie Jin, Hao Xie, Liangliang Qi, Xue‐Yuan Liu, Xing‐Zhong Shu
Abstract
, were tolerated. The dynamic nature of this method enables the direct arylation of benzylic alcohol in the presence of various nucleophilic groups, including nonactivated primary/secondary/tertiary alcohols, phenols, and free indoles. It thus offers a robust alternative to existing methods for the precise construction of diarylmethanes. The synthetic utility of the method was demonstrated by a concise synthesis of biologically active molecules and by its application to peptide modification and conjugation. Preliminary mechanistic studies revealed that the reaction of in situ formed benzyl oxalates with nickel, possibly via a radical process, is an initial step in the reaction with aryl electrophiles.